Sports
After Cameron Dicker's historic boot, Chargers get to meet 'Quad Father' of free kick
Cameron Dicker pointed to a picture of a football card to the camera. The color drawing showed a man in a royal blue San Diego Chargers jersey with thick brown hair and a thick mustache.
“From me to Ray,” the Chargers kicker said while tapping his chest, “let’s go.”
Ray Wersching’s mustache has gone gray, as has the hair on his head, but 48 years after he made a 45-yard fair-catch free kick, the former Charger and San Francisco 49ers kicker is happy to pass the torch to Dicker.
After Dicker made the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL since 1976 last Thursday, Wersching was a surprise guest in the Chargers practice facility Monday, invited by the Spanos family to fly from his home in the Bay Area to meet with the team. Before practice, he chatted with reporters and special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken and addressed the players.
For Dicker, he had a special message: “Thank you.”
The San Diego Chargers’ Ray Wersching was the last NFL player to be successful on a fair-catch free kick before the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker did it in Week 16 this season.
(James Flores / NFL)
“It brought that rule into now where everybody knows it,” Wersching said with a proud smile.
The obscure rule allows a team to kick immediately after a fair catch and if it goes through the uprights and over the crossbar, it counts as a three-point field goal for the kicking team.
In 2019, Joey Slye, then with the Carolina Panthers, was the last NFL player to attempt one. The Chargers watch the film of the attempt every week during special teams meetings.
Players sometimes roll their eyes when Ficken cues up the footage. They were celebrating the moment the ball shot off Dicker’s foot, however, giving the Chargers a jolt of energy going into halftime against the Denver Broncos.
“It’s always something that you never know if it’s going to occur or when it’s going to occur,” Ficken said, “but you’ve got to be prepared and ready.”
Chargers coaches realized the opportunity early enough to give Dicker enough time to practice one rep on the sideline with punter JK Scott. It was a stark contrast to Wersching’s kick. He told Dicker on Monday he didn’t get any warm-up kicks before his 45-yard kick nearly 50 years ago.
“They showed me a picture of him kicking and, I mean, the dude’s quads were massive,” Dicker said. “I called him the ‘Quad Father.’”
Wersching won two Super Bowls with the 49ers and kicked four field goals in the 49ers’ 26-21 victory in Super Bowl XVI. Wersching deserved the most valuable player award for that, Dicker said.
Dicker made his own MVP-worthy play Thursday as his unorthodox kick catapulted the Chargers to a comeback win over their AFC West rivals, clinching a season sweep and boosting their playoff opportunities. The Chargers (9-6) can clinch a postseason berth Saturday with a road win against the New England Patriots.
Watching games from the Bay Area, where he still lives after 11 years with the 49ers, Wersching used to breathe a sigh of relief every time he saw a team call a fair catch deep in its territory. His claim to fame could be safe for another play.
Wersching perked up, however, when he saw Derius Davis get interfered with while attempting to make a fair catch. The 15-yard penalty put Dicker on Denver’s 47-yard line.
Wersching knew the 24-year-old would make it. Dicker is one of the many young NFL talents who have impressed Wersching with their precision from long distances.
“I’m impressed with everyone because a 60-yard field goal now it’s like, ‘yeah, we can make this,’” said Wersching, whose career long was 53 yards. “Fifty-yard field goals now, you’re expected to make them. It’s amazing.”
NFL kickers are 173-for-245 (70.1%) on field-goal attempts of 50 yards or longer this season going into Monday night’s game. Dicker’s 57-yard kick was the longest fair-catch kick in NFL history and ranks as the third-longest field goal in Chargers history. He already tied a franchise record this season with a 59-yard kick against the Arizona Cardinals
Dicker has attempted 10 kicks from 50 yards this season and made nine. After signing a four-year contract extension worth reportedly $22 million, the former Texas Longhorns star is 31 of 33 on field-goal attempts and 27 of 30 on extra points.
Dicker was also the team’s nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year, which honors a player’s achievements on the field and in the community. Two nights before making his historic kick, Dicker hosted a charity shopping spree for 20 kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters at Dick’s Sporting Goods in El Segundo. While teammates were leaving the facility after a long day of meetings, Dicker scurried out of the Chargers locker room dressed as Buddy from Will Ferrell’s “Elf.”
“Really whatever he touches,” coach Jim Harbaugh said, “he’s going to be a force for good.”
Etc.
Running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) returned to practice off injured reserve Monday, beginning his 21-day window. … Safety Alohi Gilman (hamstring) is eligible to return off IR this week, but the team did not open his window Monday. … Safeties Elijah Molden (knee) and Marcus Maye (ankle) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) did not participate in practice while cornerback Cam Hart (concussion) and tight end Will Dissly (shoulder) were on the field.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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