A Horribly Botched NFL Kick Saved a Kentucky Man's Life, Now He's Inviting the Kicker to the Derby

“You don’t see that every day.” That statement applies in so many different ways to a story that involves an NFL kicker, Wan’Dale Robinson, and the Kentucky Derby.

For a brief moment in time, Younghoe Koo was the most accurate kicker in the history of the National Football League. Unfortunately, the New York Giants kicker is probably best remembered for his worst moment on an NFL field.

Last December, Koo was called onto the field to kick a 48-yard field goal on Monday Night Football. Mark Toothaker was locked into the action to watch Wan’Dale Robinson chase a 1,000-yard season for the Giants. A longtime friend of the Robinson family, like the entire nationally-televised audience, he was not ready for what happened next.

Koo didn’t just miss the kick. His foot dug into the ground two feet behind the football.

It’s a gaffe so unbelievable that Toothaker had to rewind and watch it again. His hysterical laughter was interrupted.

Toothaker laughed so hard that he suffered a seizure. “I’ve never felt anything like this in my life,” Toothaker told the Associated Press. “I felt like I got electrocuted.”

His wife called paramedics. Upon arriving at the hospital, a CT scan revealed a tennis-ball-sized tumor on the left side of his brain. Toothaker was transferred to the University of Kentucky, where doctors removed the mass. Fortunately, it was benign, and he was able to return home within a week.

Toothaker is a prominent member of the Kentucky horse community as the stallions manager at Spendthrift Farm, which has the largest breeding operation in the state. His job takes him to all corners of the country. The week before Koo’s missed kick, he watched Further Ado in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.

This Saturday, Toothaker will be back at Churchill Downs to watch Further Ado in the Kentucky Derby. He’s extended an invitation to the NFL kicker to join him for the festivities. It’s not an insult, although Koo probably would not wish to relive one of the worst moments from his time in the NFL.

“(The) kicker saved my life because it could’ve happened any other time,” Toothaker said. “I wholeheartedly believe I was in the right spot at the right time, and he was the trigger for that happening. It was a miracle.”

There’s one more slight twist to this strange story. This time a year ago, Toothaker was gearing up for another Kentucky Derby filled with Spendthrift connections. He spent about 15 minutes on the radio talking horses with Michael Bennett and me. What a wild time to be alive.