won the game 35-7. From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League. In 1980 Benirschke returned to kicking and played seven more seasons with the team before retiring in 1987 as the team's all-time leader in points scored (766). He was named the NFL Man of the Year in 1983. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1983 season. In 1984, his kickoffs were viewed to be too short, and he gave a thumbs-up sign to Denver Broncos kicker Rich Karlis before a field goal that defeated the Chargers, prompting a meeting with San Diego owner Alex Spanos over Benirschke's loyalties. Although Benirschke had the third-highest field goal percentage in NFL history, the Chargers selected punter/kicker Ralf Mojsiejenko in the 1985 NFL Draft to provide competition. On August 31, 1987, Benirschke was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a draft pick after he lost his job to rookie Vince Abbott. He was released by Dallas on September 7, and formally announced his retirement in December. After 10 years with San Diego, he retired as the team's all-time scoring leader with 766 points and held 15 club records. He made 146 field goals in 208 tries for a .702 field goal percentage- at the time the third most-accurate in league history behind Eddie Murray and Nick Lowery. In 1997, he was the twentieth player inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. Life after football Benirschke hosted the daytime version of the TV game show Wheel of Fortune from January 10 to June 30, 1989 after Pat Sajak left the daytime version to host The Pat Sajak Show; Sajak has continued to host the nighttime syndicated version. When the daytime version moved to CBS, Bob Goen succeeded Benirschke as host. He has not been involved in television since, but was among the many participants in the E! Network's True Hollywood Story episode on Wheel. He founded and later sold a financial services company, and has been involved in venture capital and development groups. He is the national spokesman for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and for Hepatitis C awareness. In November 1996 he published his book, Alive and Kicking! from which his almost-famous quote "It's not what you become, it's what you overcome" was first observed. During and after his football tenure he was also