On Saturday, the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks embraced April Fool’s Day by jokingly announcing a relocation to Los Angeles. A day later, the team made legitimate headlines, with veteran kicker Donny Hageman drilling a 59-yard field goal against the Roughnecks. Not only was the successful kick the longest of the 2023 season, but the longest in XFL history.
Hageman, 30, was drafted by the Battlehawks after a three-year hiatus from professional football. Undrafted out of San Diego State in 2016, the special teamer had only made two 50-yard field goals in his career prior to Sunday’s game against Houston, including both college and stints in the Arena Football League and now-defunct Alliance of American Football.
59 FOR DONNY HAGEMAN‼️ THE LONGEST IN THE XFL THIS SEASON‼️ pic.twitter.com/2pQlMEWYeF
— St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) April 2, 2023
His record kick helped St. Louis take a 17-9 halftime lead over the Roughnecks on Sunday.
Hageman originally began his college career at Mt. San Antonio College, a public community school, before transferring to San Diego State. He made his pro debut with the AFL’s Los Angeles Kiss in 2016, but did not attempt a field goal that season. After three years out of pro football, he resurfaced with the AAF’s San Diego Fleet and tied for the league lead with 14 field goal conversions on the 2019 season. His best numbers came during his first year at San Diego State, where he went 20 of 25 on FG tries, and also made all 37 extra points.