Dec. 25, 1971

The longest game in pro football history comes down to a left-footed Cypriot being more accurate than a right-footed Norwegian. It's not a very merry Christmas for Kansas City's Jan Stenerud, who yesterday was selected over Miami's Garo Yepremian as the AFC's placekicker for the Pro Bowl.

With the AFC semifinal playoff game tied 24-24, Stenerud is wide right on a 31-yard field-goal try with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter and has his 42-yard field-goal attempt blocked in the first overtime period.

In the second period of overtime, a 29-yard run by fullback Larry Csonka moves the Dolphins into Chiefs' territory. "I was just hoping I'd get a chance," Yepremian says later.

The 5-foot-7 Yepremian, who was the NFL's leading scorer with 117 points, doesn't blow it, either. A tiemaker in the offseason, he breaks the game's tie with a 37-yard field goal. His boot gives the Dolphins a 27-24 victory, a game that takes 82 minutes and 40 seconds to complete.