Finding Nittmo - ESPN

He was once the must unlikely media star of the late 80's... a left footed Swedish kicker for the NY Giants who even appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. How could he ever have known that years of kicking a football in America would bring him love and family and fame... and then take it all away.

[@d.r.3397]

I worked with Bjorn at UPS in Phoenix when he was kicking for the AFL. My memory of him was as of a wonderful guy that at times showed signs of being troubled. I always wondered why he just stopped coming to work one day. Wish I knew then what I just learned watching this. I wish him all the best.

[@spencerjsteel]

I worked for the Shreveport Pirates where Bjorn was our placekicker in 1995. He was bright, very friendly with a quirky sense of humor, a great athlete, and outrageously strong - regularly outlifting linemen six inches taller and 100+ pounds heavier. I am saddened to hear of his suffering and hope that medical science catches up so that this decent man can find some peace in his life.

[@jedistreaming4006]

As a Giants fan, i remember Nittmo kicking in the fridget cold of the Meadowlands vs The Raider's in 1989. As a lefty my self, he was my favorite kicker.

[@pedaltonz]

Wow!! Very sad story. It breaks my heart. I never forgot this guy. He and I were in one class together (an Education class) at Appalachian State in the late 80's. He was a very fun, bright and athletic guy. I remember playing hacky-sack with him in the hallways of class building on campus. To most of us he was famous on campus. I watched him kick at least 8-9 field goals in one game. I believe the score was 30-0. He was an amazing kicker. We didn't have much of a QB back then, but we won many games b/c of him and thus the legend of Appalachian State football began well before our upset of Michigan in 2007. Thank you, Bjorn, for bringing happiness to our school in the 1980s!! I hope you find solace and peace in life.

[@AmyHall-eh2kh]

Bjorn was a high school classmate of mine. Such a sweet guy who showed up to his first day of football practice with a soccer ball. He quickly won hearts with his innocent demeaner and skills he was able to leverage in our American Football. Welcome to Enterprise where Friday night football was the biggest thing in town. This video breaks my heart! I pray for him and his family. It is now several years since this video - I hope he has found some solace and healing.

[@geofromnj7377]

He resembles Kurt Russell. Also looks a little like Kris Kristofferson. His injuries are the reason Morten Andersen never attempted to tackle anyone and generally got out of the way after kicking a field goal. "They don't pay me to tackle or to make contact", said Andersen.

[@EireEmpire]

My grandfather was his coach in highschool

[@DaCosmicPrince]

He kinda looks like Brian Pillman

[@shawnjenkins7469]

I had two connections with Björn early in his kicking career. In 1989, I was almost signed at Appalachian State to replace him, but the school found out that I wasn’t credited for a medical redshirt my freshman year, so my eligibility clock had expired. A couple years later at a pro camp in Tampa, we both got a good look, but he was the only player picked up. It was a long, hot day with lots of kickers, so we had time to sit in the shade and chat. He was a super cool guy with a great sense of humor and laughed when we’d riff on his name after each of his mammoth kicks … “NITTMOOOOOO!” I’m so saddened to see how head trauma has stolen so much from him. I’d love to track him down, but him a beer and see if he could recall those days.

[@jedistreaming4006]

Did not know this part of his story. I do remember my brother calling me and saying if i saw Nittmo being hurt in that game, i wasn't watching, my work at the time, had me traveling too much to keep up with sports. I found this story via a discord channel where we we're discussing making a 1989 season roster for a football game that came out in 2007 called, All Pro Football 2k8. We have kept the game alive using mods to re-create complete rosters and teams from year's past. I do hope we can do the 1989 season and use my Giants with Nittmo in it. He was my favorite kicker and still is.

[@BillyRamirez]

6:13 Wow, I was working this Sabercats-Rattlers game and definitely remember seeing him getting laid out. I had no idea he had already suffered a huge hit years prior.

[@RodsHere]

I watched this in class

[@martinreuterr]

Was the ESPN film only 12-13 minutes long?

[@TheIBM1983]

The Podcasts... audio only - are 40+ minutes X2.

[@onward-fp2fz]

Wow maybe the 1st time I've heard this happen to a kicker