Q: Who holds the record for the longest field goal in the NFL and in college football?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: Denver's Matt Prater set the NFL record with a 64-yard field goal on Dec. 8, 2013.
That broke the previous mark of 63 yards, which was held by Tom Dempsey (1970), Jason Elam (1998), Sebastian Janikowski (2011) and David Akers (2012).
Prater, Elam and Janikowski made their kicks in Denver.
Martin Gramatica set the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) record (without a tee) with a 65-yard field goal at Kansas State in 1998.
The FBS record (with a tee) is 67 yards and is held by Russell Erxleben (Texas, 1977), Steve Little (Arkansas, 1977) and Joe Williams (Wichita State, 1978).
The NCAA banned kicking tees for field-goal and extra-point attempts in 1989.
Q: Does the U.S. Tennis Association have the same random drug test rules as the NFL, NBA and NHL?
—Harvey Copeland, Carrollton
A: Drug and anti-doping policies differ across professional leagues, but the International Tennis Federation and the USTA have anti-doping programs.
The ITF states athletes “can be selected for doping control at any time and any place.”
The ITF’s website also includes information (rules, banned substances, exemptions, phone numbers) on a “wallet card” that players can print and carry with them.
The USTA “believes that the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with and contrary to the best interests of the sport,” the U.S. Open website states. “Players and Tournament Officials participating in the Championships may be required to undergo drug testing.”
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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