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CATCH UP ON THE COUNTDOWN BY VISITING: ARIZONA’S TOP 100 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
Only 74 days separate us from the start of Rich Rodriguez’s fifth season, when the Arizona Wildcats football team plays Brigham Young on Sept. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
As is customary on this Web site, we will count down the days with an interesting element associated with each day. This year the topic is the top 100 individual records in Arizona’s storied football past.
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Max Zendejas holds the Arizona record for made field goals in his career with 79 (he attempted 107)
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Compiling the list was no easy task, but it was feasible to do with the information provided in the record books by the Arizona media relations department, and we appreciate that.
In past years, we have counted down the top games and highlighted players and some of the top plays in Arizona Wildcats football history. A couple of years ago in our top 100 countdown, we showcased the 1914 team that was responsible for Arizona becoming the “Wildcats”.
Back to this year’s countdown of the top 100 individual records in the 117 years of Arizona football:
No. 74
Field Goals Made, Career: 79, Max Zendejas, 1982-85 (107 attempts)
NCAA Record: 88, Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, 2009-12 (112 attempts)
Max Zendejas reacts to kicking a field goal that gave Arizona a 16-13 victory over ASU in 1985, one of his record 79 field goals in his career (Tucson Citizn file photo)
One of the many Max Zendejas records that will be on this list includes the 79 he made in his career from 1982 through 1985. His 107 attempts are also a school record. Some of the more memorable kicks in Arizona history occurred within those 79 made — the game-winning kicks at Notre Dame in 1982 and ASU in 1983, and the 57-yarder at ASU in 1985 that helped topple the Sun Devils.
Zendejas also holds the Arizona record for most games with four field goals with three. Also three times in his career he made at least 20 field goals in a season, a feat unmatched by any other Arizona kicker.
After Zendejas, only four kickers over the last 30 years have reached 20 field goals made — Gary Coston, 21 in 1986; Steve McLaughlin, school-record 23 in 1994; Jason Bondzio, 21 in 2007; and Casey Skowron, 20 in 2014.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
