Professional Football
Longwell was acquired by the Green Bay Packers off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers in 1997. With the Packers, Longwell played in Super Bowl XXXII, where he kicked one field goal and three extra points in their 31-24 loss to the Denver Broncos. He signed a free agent contract with the Vikings in the 2006 offseason.
In his second game with the Minnesota Vikings, Longwell had one of the best performances of his career. He was responsible for all 16 of the Vikings points in a 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers, kicking three field goals (including the game winning field goal in overtime) and throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal play in the fourth quarter. In 2008 he kicked a 50 yard field goal with no time left to help the Vikings clinch the division.
During the 2010 offseason, Longwell, a close friend of Brett Favre, became a sort of unofficial spokesman for Favre, as the media frequently questioned him on whether Favre would return to the Vikings or retire. When Longwell picked Favre up at the airport in Minnesota on August 17, 2010, TV station helicopters followed Longwell's SUV all the way to Vikings headquarters.
Read more about this topic: Ryan Longwell
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