Obituary: Former Western Michigan star Dale Livingston the unlikeliest of kickers (original) (raw)

Gazette file

Dale Livingston during his playing days

KALAMAZOO -- Dale Livingston, one of Western Michigan University's most prolific kickers, died Monday at a Green Bay, Wis., hospital after suffering through recent heart problems. He was 63.

With a linebacker's body and no experience, Livingston, pulled from a physical education class, impressed former coach Bill Doolittle in 1965 during an impromptu tryout at Waldo Stadium.

"This guy walks into my office and he's kind of built like a pear," Doolittle said by telephone from his home in Florida. "I said, 'Go get yourself a pair of shoes and we'll go out on the field and take a look at you.'

"When I first looked at him, I was like, 'Holy mackerel, this guy will never be able to help our program.'"Livingston immediately connected on a series of 30- and 40-yard field goals and 50-yard punts.

"I never had a kicker like him before," Doolittle said. "I don't know how many games he won for us, but it was pretty good."

Doolittle said he remained in contact with Livingston -- who was diagnosed in 1986 with a type of Hodgkin's lymphoma but fought off the disease before suffering from heart complications beginning in October -- over the last four decades, often referring to the once pudgy-faced kicker from gym class as "the kid."

"What a guy he was," an emotional Doolittle said. "He was a great kid.
"He never forgot me and I'll never forget him."

Livingston moments relived
Before being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968 and helping the Packers win their first Monday Night Football game in 1970, Livingston provided a number of memorable moments while at Western Michigan.

Dale Livingston

Such performances led to his induction in the WMU Hall of Fame last year after a career where he averaged 39.9 yards per punt, including 43.3 in one season that ranks second all-time for the Broncos.

A successful onside kick and late field goal by Livingston against Ohio in 1966, combined with Bowling Green's upset over Miami, gave WMU a share of its first Mid-American Conference title.

"Dale looked at me and gave me a wave when he was getting ready to kick and laid down a perfect onside kick which I recovered right in front of our bench," said defensive end teammate Glenn Cherup, who resides in Holland. "Everything fell into place that day."

Still tied for the longest punt in Broncos history, Livingston unleashed an 86-yard bomb against Kent State that "kept rolling and rolling and rolling in a rainstorm," according to Cherup.

Though the details are fuzzy regarding which game it was, early in Lvingston's senior season the 230-pounder proved how fearless he truly was.

Backed up against their own end zone, the Broncos faced a fourth-and-20 situation and Livingston ran out to punt the ball away.

At least that's what he was instructed to do.

"I said, 'Dale, what in the hell are you doing?'" Doolittle asked after his kicker took off for 25 yards and a first down. "He said, 'Coach, I saw that big opening and that defensive end is not rushing at all and I just took a chance. I knew damn well I could make it.'

"I said, 'Dale, you ever do that again you had better make it, OK?'"

It's a story Livingston and Cherup shared each time they saw each other, including an annual team party that Livingston attended this past July.

"Doo had some words for him afterward, but he couldn't argue with the results," Cherup said laughing. "Dale (Livingston) was a real live wire."

Colorful quotes
• "He was kind of a fat (butt)," Doolittle said, remembering the first time he saw Livingston.

• "He was pretty quick for a big man," Cherup said. "He was 230 pounds if he was an ounce. But he was very athletic."

• "Dale is one of those guys who didn't fit the football mold," former captain and defensive lineman Bob Rowe said. "Dale was not your svelt .... Dale was just Dale. He had a hell of a leg, a powerful leg. He was like, 'As long as I can get the ball there, why do I need to look like Tarzan? I like the food and I like to eat and enjoy myself.' He was like, 'My God, all I have to do is go out there four times a game, kick the ball 40 yards and hopefully win the game.' I don't know if he ever laid into the weights, but the boy could kick."

Paving the way
Cherup described Livingston as a trailblazer at the forefront of a new era in college football, who always offered advice and encouragement to WMU players, especially kickers, who sought him out.

Rowe agreed that Livingston was a different breed of kicker in a decade not known for long-range field goals.

"Back in those days kickers didn't kick from very far out, Rowe said. "I remember thinking, 'What's he doing lining up a 50-yarder?'

"And then boom, there it goes. He brought a whole new element. When Dale started kicking those field goals, all of the sudden if you got to the 30- or 40-yard line, you had the possibility of getting three points. That's what Dale brought to the field."

Life after football
Livingston sold insurance for 20 years after leaving the Packers, before embarking on a career as a teacher and coach at Freedom Middle School for 12 years. He retired last year.

Funeral arrangements
Livingston is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, two sons, Dale and Christopher, and four granddaughters.

Visitation will be 5-9 p.m. Eastern Time Friday at Lyndahl Funeral Home, 1350 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wis., resuming at 11 a.m. Saturday at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, 2270 S. Oneida Ave. in Ashwaubenon. The funeral Mass will be at noon and burial will be in Allouez Catholic Cemetery.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.