In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023, Defiant Takes will be honoring players from these racial backgrounds. This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about players that often go overlooked in general NFL history.
This article will all be about The Toeless Wonder, Ben Agajanian, an Armenian American who excelled in football despite all the odds. Did you know Armenia is in the South Caucasus region, which is a unique geographic location comprised of three different countries that border Europe and Asia?
Many people label this region as Europe due to the culture of the country, but geographically, the consensus is that it is likely more accurate to label Armenia as being in Central Asia. I love a good technicality, and Ben’s story is worth the geographical ambiguity.
The Toeless Wonder’s family hails from the South Caucasus Region (ResearchGate).
The Toeless Wonder With Toes
Benjamin James Agajanian was born in Santa Ana, California, in 1919. Ben had a younger sister, Jacqueline, and an older brother, Joshua James, who grew up to be a motorsports promoter and race car owner. Joshua was born six months in America after his parents and his extended family immigrated from war-torn Armenia.
Ben and Josh’s father was a gruff guy; he would tell Joshua to pack his bags, kiss his mother goodbye, and change his name because he wasn’t welcome in the home anymore when Ben’s older brother wanted to pursue race car driving. The father and son compromised when Joshua decided just to own a race car and not drive it.
De-toe
Agajanian would play a little placekicking at Compton Junior College before transferring to the University of New Mexico. Not long into his college career, in 1939, Ben would hold a part-time job during the summer at a Coca-Cola factory and would tragically lose four of his toes, keeping only the pinky one when an elevator fell on his foot.
Ben Agajanian had strict orders for the doctor: square the toes off so they’re all the same length, none poking out (I do not recommend googling his foot). The placekicker went from a size 10 shoe to a size 7. Doctors would tell Ben that he may never walk again, and the placekicker would begin kicking again shortly thereafter.
Ben Agajanian had one size 7 shoe and one size 10 shoe (The Boston Globe).
Ted Shipkey, the coach in Albuquerque, would send the kicker off to a cobbler for custom shoes. Agajanian would be elated when he discovered he could kick further and with more accuracy than before.
In between Ben’s college and pro-career, he would serve his country during the Second World War with one regular toe as a physical training instructor. He could have easily chosen not to serve, but he would not let his lack of toes stop him. Agajanian felt that his disability was the best thing that had ever happened to him; he felt pride in himself for overcoming the odds.
Pro Toe
Mr. Agajanian would secure a 20-year career in professional football. Ben would play for 13 different teams in three different leagues: the AFL, the NFL, and the All-American Football Conference. He was the third kicking specialist in the league.
Ben Agajanian’s black and white photo in color of him kicking the ball with his specialized shoe (Bettmann/Getty Images).
Ben also was an NFL champion twice (this was before the Super Bowl): in 1956 with the New York Giants and in 1961 as a Green Bay Packer, and he would lead the NFL in field-goal attempts in 1947 and 1954 and in made field goals in 1947.
The placekicker would not begin pro football until he was 26, and he is one of only eight players in the league to play after his 45th birthday.
Although Ben’s roles were predominantly offensive, he also played on the defensive side of the ball. The Toeless Wonder would break his arm one game during a tackle and continue to kick with a sling on his arm.
No Toes About It
Agajanian toed the line, but he still had his haters. Some people would suggest he had an unfair advantage due to the square block in his shoe where his toes would normally be. Ben suggested those players could cut their toes off so they could have the advantage too. Well said, The Toeless Wonder!
The Toeless Wonder Post-Pro
The Toeless Wonder at age 96 (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times).
Never one to sit still, Ben Agajanian would be the Dallas Cowboys kicking coach for 20 years after hanging up his cleats at the end of the 1964 season.
Ben would die with dignity in California at age 98 in 2018. He would be survived by his two daughters, Lynne and Lori, and his son, Lewis. Agajanian also left behind ten grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. His wife, Arleen Phelps, died in 2007.
For more American Heritage Month articles, look here.
