 Vanderjagt in 2023 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Placekicker Punter | ||||||||||
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| Born: | (1970-03-24)March 24, 1970 (age 55) Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | White Oaks (Oakville, Ontario) | ||||||||||
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| CFL draft: | 1992: 8th round, 58th pick | ||||||||||
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Michael John Vanderjagt (/ˈvændərˌdʒæt/VAN-dər-jakt; born March 24, 1970) is a Canadian former professionalfootballplacekicker who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with theIndianapolis Colts. He served as the Colts' placekicker from 1998 to 2005 and was a member of theDallas Cowboys during his final NFL season in 2006. Prior to the NFL, Vanderjagt played four seasons in theCanadian Football League (CFL), three with theToronto Argonauts and one with theSaskatchewan Roughriders.
During his CFL career, Vanderjagt won twoGrey Cups and received theDick Suderman Trophy in 1996. His most successful NFL season was in 2003 when he became the first kicker to convert everyfield goal andpoint after touchdown during the regular season and playoffs, earning himPro Bowl and first-teamAll-Pro honors. Vanderjagt retired as the NFL's most accuratefield goal kicker at 86.5%, which is the ninth-highest completion percentage in league history.[1][2]
Vanderjagt attendedWhite Oaks Secondary School, where he was a four sport athlete (football, basketball, track, and soccer). In1988, he accepted a scholarship fromMichigan State University as aquarterback and placekicker. However, he left Michigan State forAllan Hancock College inSanta Maria,California, where he took over placekicking duties from exiting freshman Jack Garvin (who left to joinUCLA).
Vanderjagtpunted and played quarterback for AHC until returning toDivision I football, as solely a punter and placekicker, atWest Virginia University for the1991 and1992 seasons. As a junior, he was the team's starting punter, registering 52 punts for 2,040 yards (39.2-yard avg.). In his final season he was switched to placekicker, ranking third in field goals made (15) and fourth in points scored (72) in theBig East Conference.
After graduating from WVU in 1993, he returned to Canada and started a career in the Canadian Football League. Between 1993 and 1996, he was cut by four different CFL teams,[3] getting some playing time with theSaskatchewan Roughriders in 1993. Not playing in the league in 1994 or 1995, Vanderjagt played for theTampa Bay Storm of theArena Football League.[citation needed] Vanderjagt also played for the AFL'sMinnesota Fighting Pike[4] in the 1996 season before returning to theToronto Argonauts (who had previously cut him twice) for their 1996 season.
Over the next two seasons, Vanderjagt served as their regular placekicker and punter, as Argos won theGrey Cup in both 1996 and 1997; in those two games he was 9 of 9. For his 1996 Grey Cup efforts he was named thegame's outstanding Canadian. He also led the CFL in yardage per punt in1997. Following the 1997 season, Vanderjagt left the Argos to become a free agent, ultimately to play in theNational Football League.
In 1998, Vanderjagt returned to the United States to join theIndianapolis Colts of theNFL, and was the team's placekicker through the2005 season. He led the NFL in scoring in1999.
In a2000 playoff game against Miami, Vanderjagt successfully converted a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but missed a 49-yard attempt in overtime. Miami scored on the next possession to win the game.
Following theColts' elimination from the postseason in 2002, Vanderjagt made critical comments about Colts quarterbackPeyton Manning and head coachTony Dungy to a Canadian television station. Vanderjagt questioned Manning's leadership skills and criticized Dungy for being "mild-mannered". During an interview at the2003 Pro Bowl, Manning referred to Vanderjagt as the team's "idiot kicker" and accused him of being intoxicated during the interview.[5]
In2003, Vanderjagt became the first kicker in the league's history to go an entire season, including the playoffs, without missing a field goal or point-after attempt. (In1998,Minnesota kickerGary Anderson was perfect in the regular season, but missed a field goal attempt in the playoffs.) In the process, he made his firstPro Bowl and was named first-teamAll-Pro. He finished the regular season 37 for 37 in field goals and 46 for 46 in PATs. He was also perfect on three field-goal attempts and 12 PATs in the postseason. He did, however, miss a potential game tying 51-yard field goal inthat season's Pro Bowl with three seconds left in a 55–52 loss to the NFC.
In2004, he kicked 20 field goals, the lowest number of his career. But he also had considerably fewer field goal chances that season (25), as the Colts offense scored 61 touchdowns (nearly four per game), with Peyton Manning throwing a then NFL record 49 TD passes.
Vanderjagt's streak of 42 consecutive successful field goal attempts, the second longest in NFL history (the league does not include postseason or Pro Bowl games when compiling streaks), ended on September 9, 2004, when he missed a 48-yard attempt against theNew England Patriots. The game was 2004'sMonday Night Football opener, which the Colts lost 27–24.
Vanderjagt indicated in a radio interview during the season that he might not return to the Colts for2005, as hiscap number was $2.8 million and the Colts might not be willing to pick up his salary for that season. He noted that he may return to the CFL, where his professional career began. However, he eventually signed a reworked deal and returned to the Colts.
In the2005–06 NFL Playoffs, against the eventualSuper Bowl XL championPittsburgh Steelers, Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field goal attempt wide right with 18 seconds remaining, when the Colts were behind 21–18, costing the Colts a chance at overtime and ending the team's season. Walking off the field after the kick, he took off his helmet and threw it to the ground in anger (which cost his team a 15-yardunsportsmanlike conduct penalty). It was Vanderjagt's first field goal miss in theRCA Dome in the postseason.
Shortly thereafter, on January 19, 2006, Vanderjagt appeared on a lighthearted segment of theLate Show with David Letterman, during which he successfully kicked a 46-yard field goal, outsideLetterman's Manhattan studio. Letterman, anIndiana native and Colts fan, served as the holder. The appearance was said to be one of the reasons why Vanderjagt was not re-signed in 2006.[6]
During the2006 offseason, Vanderjagt became a free agent and the Colts elected not to re-sign him. Instead, they signed free agentAdam Vinatieri, who had helped in the Patriots' recentSuper Bowl titles. Following Vanderjagt's departure, the Colts wonSuper Bowl XLI that season.
On March 23,2006, the Cowboys signed Vanderjagt to a three-year, $4.5 million contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Vanderjagt suffered a groin injury that kept him out of action for two weeks in preseason. He returned for the final game against theMinnesota Vikings, but missed two field goals in overtime of 32 and 33 yards (both misses were wide right), forcing the contest to end in a tie.[7] Rumors quickly spread that Vanderjagt would be released by the Cowboys before the start of the regular season, after head coachBill Parcells was quoted saying, "I think he has been a good kicker. But he keeps telling me that I don't have to worry about him. Well, I'm worried about him now."[8]
However, he remained on the roster, when the team was forced to keep backup kickerShaun Suisham for the first game of the season against theJacksonville Jaguars. Vanderjagt appeared in each of the Cowboys' subsequent games through Week 12. In Week 9, his potential game-winning field goal was blocked by theWashington Redskins as time expired. In Week 11 against his former team the Colts, he missed his only two field goal attempts, (both of these misses were also wide right) making it the first time since2001 since he had done so. The fans were so upset, they booed a commercial he appeared in on stadium monitors. After he barely made a 22-yard field goal againstTampa Bay, the Cowboys had seen enough. On November 27, he was released and replaced withMartín Gramática. During his time with the Cowboys, Vanderjagt made 13 of 18 field goal attempts and was 2-for-5 on field goals from 35 yards or more.
On May 31, 2008, the Toronto Argonauts signed Vanderjagt and traded their veteran kickerNoel Prefontaine to the Edmonton Eskimos.[9][10] Vanderjagt claimed he really wanted to return to Toronto and his hometown "regardless of what NFL team called" as he missed the sport, missed the area, and missed his friends and family, which include his wife Janalyn and their son Jay Michael. He was released by the Argonauts on his request on May 28, 2009.[11]
| Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGA | FGM | Lng | Pct | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
| 1998 | IND | 14 | 31 | 27 | 53 | 87.1 | 23 | 23 | 100.0 | 104 |
| 1999 | IND | 16 | 38 | 34 | 53 | 89.5 | 43 | 43 | 100.0 | 145 |
| 2000 | IND | 16 | 27 | 25 | 48 | 92.6 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 121 |
| 2001 | IND | 16 | 34 | 28 | 52 | 82.4 | 42 | 41 | 97.6 | 125 |
| 2002 | IND | 16 | 31 | 23 | 54 | 74.2 | 34 | 34 | 100.0 | 103 |
| 2003 | IND | 16 | 37 | 37 | 50 | 100.0 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 157 |
| 2004 | IND | 15 | 25 | 20 | 47 | 80.0 | 60 | 59 | 98.3 | 119 |
| 2005 | IND | 16 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 92.0 | 52 | 52 | 100.0 | 121 |
| 2006 | DAL | 10 | 18 | 13 | 50 | 72.2 | 33 | 33 | 100.0 | 72 |
| Career | 135 | 266 | 230 | 54 | 86.5 | 379 | 377 | 99.5 | 1,067 | |
Vanderjagt appeared in a Walt Disney film calledThe Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon, where he was the stand-in during football scenes forTony Danza as a placekicker for thePhiladelphia Eagles. He is currently the special teams coach for theMedina Mustangs inMedina, New York.