69 Facts About Stephen Gostkowski

Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League, primarily with the New England Patriots.

Stephen Gostkowski was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Patriots, where he spent his first 14 seasons and became the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Stephen Gostkowski then played his final season in the league with the Tennessee Titans in 2020.

Stephen Gostkowski graduated from Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi, in 2002.

Stephen Gostkowski holds the school record for longest field goal, a 55-yard kick.

Stephen Gostkowski's opponents included former Atlanta Falcons running back Jerious Norwood, who returned one of Gostkowski's kickoffs from two yards deep in the end zone; Gostkowski raced him down at the 25-yard line to prevent a touchdown.

Stephen Gostkowski attended the University of Memphis, where he played for the Memphis Tigers football team and majored in exercise and sports science.

Stephen Gostkowski received an athletic scholarship to play baseball for Memphis, and was a walk-on for the football team.

Stephen Gostkowski finished his college career with a total of 369 points, a school record, and 13th overall in NCAA Division I-A history, converting 70 of 92 field goals and 159 of 165 extra points during his Tiger career.

Stephen Gostkowski earned first team All-Conference USA honors in both his junior and senior years and was named Conference USA's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005.

In 2005, his senior season, Stephen Gostkowski handled kickoff duties for Memphis and had 39 touchbacks on 68 kickoffs.

Stephen Gostkowski did so using a one-inch tee, rather than the two-inch tees allowed by the NCAA at the time.

Stephen Gostkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th overall pick.

Stephen Gostkowski was the first of two placekickers to be selected that year.

Stephen Gostkowski's longest field goal was a 54-yard attempt against the New York Giants in the last preseason game.

On November 26,2006, Stephen Gostkowski made the longest regular-season kick of his young career, a 52-yard kick against the Chicago Bears, which is the longest kick ever made at Gillette Stadium.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the 2006 season as the highest-scoring rookie, with 103 points, edging out the 96 points scored by Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Stephen Gostkowski had to contend with having three different holders during the season.

Stephen Gostkowski had one kickoff go through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

Stephen Gostkowski made a 34-yarder in the third quarter and a 31-yard kick with 1:10 left in the fourth that made him only the third NFL rookie to attempt a game-winning playoff kick in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Stephen Gostkowski performed admirably, making all eight of his field goal kicks; he recorded three touchbacks, including two in the Patriots' January 21,2007, loss to the Colts at the RCA Dome.

In Week 15, against the New York Jets, Stephen Gostkowski broke former Miami Dolphins kicker Uwe von Schamann's record for most extra points converted in a season, with his 67th successful attempt.

In Week 16, against the Miami Dolphins, Stephen Gostkowski broke von Schamann's record of 70 extra point attempts.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season a perfect 74-for-74 on extra points, eclipsing Jeff Wilkins' 1999 record of 64-for-64 with the St Louis Rams.

Stephen Gostkowski had the distinction, in the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens, of kicking off from the Ravens' 35-yard line as the result of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and an offside call on the Ravens defense on his PAT attempt.

Stephen Gostkowski recorded a touchback on the kickoff, but there was confusion after the game as to whether or not the Patriots could have improved their field position by kicking the ball out-of-bounds instead.

Stephen Gostkowski had two field goal attempts in the postseason, both in the Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars; Stephen Gostkowski converted one, but missed the other, his only failed postseason conversion.

Stephen Gostkowski converted four field goals from 21,37,28, and 27 yards, and recorded touchbacks on the first five of his six kickoffs.

In Week 16, Stephen Gostkowski had the highest-scoring game of his NFL career, converting four field goal attempts and five extra point attempts against the Arizona Cardinals.

In December 2008, Stephen Gostkowski was selected for his first Pro Bowl appearance as the AFC kicker; his selection was the result of the players' and coaches' votes, as he did not finish in the top five in fan voting.

Stephen Gostkowski won his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in the Patriots' Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins, in which he recorded four field goals and two touchbacks, including one on a re-kick from the Patriots' 25-yard line following an offside penalty.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season going 26-for-31 on field goals.

Stephen Gostkowski was a perfect 47-for-47 on extra points and had a then-career-high 67.8 yard average on kickoffs.

Stephen Gostkowski's contract expired after the 2009 season, which normally would have made him an unrestricted free agent.

Stephen Gostkowski began the 2010 season missing three of his first four field goal attempts over two games.

In Week 9, Stephen Gostkowski was unable to finish the Patriots' game against the Cleveland Browns after sustaining a thigh injury; he was replaced by wide receiver Wes Welker.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the injury-shortened season 10-for-13 on field goals, while setting a career-high with an average kickoff distance of 67.9 yards.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season with 143 points, five short of his career high in 2007; he made 28 of 33 field goals and all 59 of his extra-point attempts.

Stephen Gostkowski was one of two kickers to score five or more points in every game in 2011, and the third player in NFL history to manage the feat.

In week 12 against Peyton Manning and the high-scoring Denver Broncos, Stephen Gostkowski made both his field goal attempts, including the game winning 31-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in overtime.

Stephen Gostkowski set a franchise record for the New England Patriots for most field goals in a season with 38 field goals made out of 41 attempts.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season with an NFL-leading 35 field goals out of 37 attempts.

Stephen Gostkowski was honored with his third Pro Bowl selection and was selected as a Second-Team All-Pro.

Stephen Gostkowski did not kick any field goals but made four extra points.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season with 151 points, marking the fourth consecutive season he exceeded 150 points; no other player in NFL history has scored 150 points more than once.

Stephen Gostkowski was named one of two starting kickers for the 2015 Pro Bowl ; it was Stephen Gostkowski's third consecutive nomination, and fourth overall.

Stephen Gostkowski was named the kicker on the 2015 AP All-Pro first team, receiving 47 of 50 votes; Bailey received the other three votes.

However, Stephen Gostkowski, who scored two field goals during the game, was defended by Patriots coach Bill Belichick and teammates Julian Edelman, Logan Ryan, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, and Malcolm Butler.

Stephen Gostkowski earned Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 13 for making all four field goal attempts including three over 45 yards and converted two extra points.

Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals to end his record regular-season streak at 479.

Stephen Gostkowski finished the season tied for eighth in scoring with 127 points ; it is the first time since 2011 that Gostkowski did not lead the NFL in scoring.

Stephen Gostkowski appeared in a Pepsi commercial during the 2017 playoffs, joining the ranks of wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr.

Stephen Gostkowski became the first placekicker in Super Bowl history to start at placekicker for the winning team without kicking an extra point.

In Super Bowl LI, Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point on the Patriots' first touchdown, the Patriots successfully attempted two-point conversions on their second and third touchdowns, and the Patriots' final, game-winning touchdown came in overtime, so no extra point was needed.

Stephen Gostkowski broke that record in the Patriots' Week 11 game against the Oakland Raiders at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, kicking a 62-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

In that game, Stephen Gostkowski booted four field goals, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Stephen Gostkowski played in Super Bowl LII tying the record with former Patriot Adam Vinatieri to appear in five Super Bowls as a kicker.

Stephen Gostkowski finished sixth in the league among kickers with 130 points scored.

Stephen Gostkowski set a record for most Super Bowl appearances by a kicker, at six, breaking his tie with former Patriot Adam Vinatieri.

In Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal and made two during the Patriots win over the Rams.

On October 2,2019, as a result of a left hip injury he sustained, Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve for the second time in his 14-year career.

On March 23,2020, Stephen Gostkowski was released by the Patriots after 14 seasons with the team.

Stephen Gostkowski was a teammate of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel from 2006 to 2008, when Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots.

In Week 2 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stephen Gostkowski made three of four extra point attempts and two field goal attempts, including a 49-yard game-winner late in the fourth quarter.

Stephen Gostkowski was crucial to the Titans' Week 3 win versus the Minnesota Vikings, making all six of his field goals, including another game-winner late in the fourth quarter, this time from 55 yards out.

Stephen Gostkowski was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 3.

On October 1,2020, Stephen Gostkowski was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his performance in September.

Stephen Gostkowski was not re-signed by the Titans following the 2020 season, making him a free agent going into the 2021 season.

Stephen Gostkowski retired during the 2022 season after fifteen seasons and a persistent knee injury.