Mike Prindle

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Mike Prindle was a kicker and quarterback for Grand Rapids Union High School and went on to kick for Western Michigan University from 1981 to 1984. During his career at WMU he kicked 55 consecutive point after attempts (PATs) to make him the best kicker in WMU history up to the time he attended. He has been named to the WMU All-Century Football Team as one of the top 100 student-athletes in WMU history. He attempted to play professional football in the NFL, but met with little success in landing a permanent post, despite tryouts over a several year period. He did kick for the Detroit Lions during the professional football players strike season in 1987, kicking in three games and scoring 24 points[1]. His NFL career was six made point after attempts in six attempts. He attempted 7 field goals, making six of them for a field goal percentage of 85.7%.

In 1984 Prindle kicked 7 field goals in a single game for Western Michigan vs Marshall University in 1984[2], to tie the NCAA college record for all divisions. He was determined by his coach to have made 20 kicks for the day including kickoffs, while starting quarterback Steve Hoffman had thrown only 21 passes. Said coach Jack Harbaugh: "It’s the only time I know of that we had to ice the kicker’s leg instead of the quarterback’s arm." (John Beatty, Western Michigan SID)[3].

While in high school he kicked a 55 yard field goal in the Grand Rapids Union vs. Muskegon (10-31-80) game, the fifth longest in Michigan high school history.