 Kasay with theCarolina Panthers in 2007 | |||||||||||||
| No. 4, 2 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Placekicker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-10-27)October 27, 1969 (age 56) Athens, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Clarke Central (Athens) | ||||||||||||
| College | Georgia (1987–1990) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1991: 4th round, 98th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is an American former professionalfootball player who was akicker for 21 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily with theCarolina Panthers. He playedcollege football for theGeorgia Bulldogs and was selected by theSeattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the1991 NFL draft. Kasay left the Seahawks in 1995 to sign with the expansion Panthers, whom he was a member of for 16 seasons. He became the Panthers' all-time leading scorer, while also earningPro Bowl honors during the 1996 season and making aSuper Bowl appearance inSuper Bowl XXXVIII. Retiring after one season with theNew Orleans Saints, Kasay was one of the last remaining active members of the inaugural Panthers team.
Kasay attendedClarke Central High School inAthens, Georgia, where he was a soccer standout and football kicker/punter.[1] He was an all-state selection with 37 career field goals, including a 54-yarder.
Kasay was a four-year letterman at theUniversity of Georgia. He finished his college career fifth on the school's career kick scoring list with 217 points, converting 46-of-65 field goals and 79-of-82 extra points. Kasay graduated from Georgia in 1991 with a degree in journalism.[2]
Kasay was drafted in the fourth round in 1991 by theSeattle Seahawks.[3] During his tenure, he led the Seahawks in scoring all four years, and left the team with the highest field goal percentage in team history. The Panthers signed him as a free agent prior to the team's debut in the1995 season. He played for the Panthers in 15 seasons, but missed the whole 2000 season after breaking his left kneecap in August.
Super Bowl XXXVIII was bittersweet for Kasay. Although he converted a 50-yard field goal and made both extra points, his final kickoff went out of bounds, incurring an illegal procedure penalty that placed the ball on the 40. This assisted theNew England Patriots on their drive that resulted in the game winning field goal.[4]
Kasay continued to play for the Panthers through the 2010 season. On July 28, 2011, he was released by Carolina after they signedOlindo Mare. He was the last remaining player left from thePanthers' 1995 inaugural season and the last NFL player born in the 1960s to retire.
TheNew Orleans Saints signed Kasay on August 30, 2011, after an injury to their starting kickerGarrett Hartley during a preseason game. According toAl Michaels during theThursday Night Football broadcast against theGreen Bay Packers on September 8, 2011, Kasay was at a "back-to-school" event when he received a phone call from the Saints wishing to sign him. Kasay played out the 2011 season in New Orleans, and was re-signed through the 2012 NFL season by Saints on April 26, 2012. However, he was released by the Saints on August 31, 2012, with the return of Hartley.[5]
On May 7, 2013, the Panthers announced that Kasay would sign a one-day contract and retire as a Panther.[6] The Panthers held a press conference at Bank of America Stadium that day to honor Kasay; team ownerJerry Richardson introduced Kasay, and many players, as well as the Richardson family, attended the event.[7] Kasay became eligible for induction in the team's Ring of Honor five years after his retirement.[8]
Career high/bestbolded
| Regular season statistics | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team (record) | G | FGM | FGA | % | <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | LNG | BLK | XPM | XPA | % | PTS |
| 1991 | SEA (7–9) | 16 | 25 | 31 | 80.6 | 1–1 | 5–6 | 11–14 | 6–7 | 2–3 | 54 | 0 | 27 | 28 | 96.4 | 102 |
| 1992 | SEA (2–14) | 16 | 14 | 22 | 63.6 | 0–0 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 2–6 | 0–0 | 43 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 100.0 | 56 |
| 1993 | SEA (6–10) | 16 | 23 | 28 | 82.1 | 1–1 | 5–5 | 10–11 | 4–6 | 3–5 | 55 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 100.0 | 98 |
| 1994 | SEA (6–10) | 16 | 20 | 24 | 83.3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 11–11 | 6–9 | 1–2 | 50 | 1 | 25 | 26 | 96.2 | 85 |
| 1995 | CAR (7–9) | 16 | 26 | 33 | 78.8 | 0–0 | 6–6 | 10–14 | 9–12 | 1–1 | 52 | 2 | 27 | 28 | 96.4 | 105 |
| 1996 | CAR (12–4) | 16 | 37 | 45 | 82.2 | 2–2 | 14–14 | 11–12 | 7–10 | 3–7 | 53 | 0 | 34 | 35 | 97.1 | 145 |
| 1997 | CAR (7–9) | 16 | 22 | 26 | 84.6 | 1–1 | 6–7 | 8–8 | 4–4 | 3–6 | 54 | 1 | 25 | 25 | 100.0 | 91 |
| 1998 | CAR (4–12) | 16 | 19 | 26 | 73.1 | 0–0 | 5–5 | 4–5 | 6–9 | 4–7 | 56 | 3 | 35 | 37 | 94.6 | 92 |
| 1999 | CAR (8–8) | 13 | 22 | 25 | 88.0 | 1–1 | 8–8 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 2–4 | 52 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 100.0 | 99 |
| 2000 | CAR (7–9) | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | CAR (1–15) | 16 | 23 | 28 | 82.1 | 0–0 | 10–10 | 4–4 | 7–9 | 2–5 | 52 | 0 | 22 | 23 | 95.7 | 91 |
| 2002 | CAR (7–9) | 2 | 2 | 5 | 40.0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 100.0 | 11 |
| 2003 | CAR (11–5) | 16 | 32 | 38 | 84.2 | 0–0 | 13–13 | 6–8 | 11–13 | 2–4 | 53 | 0 | 29 | 30 | 96.7 | 125 |
| 2004 | CAR (7–9) | 14 | 19 | 22 | 86.4 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 4–4 | 1–2 | 3–5 | 54 | 1 | 27 | 28 | 96.4 | 84 |
| 2005 | CAR (11–5) | 16 | 26 | 34 | 76.5 | 1–1 | 8–8 | 8–8 | 6–9 | 3–8 | 52 | 2 | 43 | 44 | 97.7 | 121 |
| 2006 | CAR (8–8) | 16 | 24 | 27 | 88.9 | 2–2 | 6–6 | 4–4 | 8–8 | 4–7 | 54 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 100.0 | 100 |
| 2007 | CAR (7–9) | 16 | 24 | 28 | 85.7 | 2–2 | 6–6 | 8–9 | 6–9 | 2–2 | 53 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 100.0 | 99 |
| 2008 | CAR (12–4) | 16 | 28 | 31 | 90.3 | 0–0 | 7–7 | 9–9 | 11–12 | 1–3 | 50 | 0 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 130 |
| 2009 | CAR (8–8) | 16 | 22 | 27 | 81.5 | 0–0 | 7–7 | 9–10 | 5–6 | 1–4 | 50 | 3 | 31 | 32 | 96.9 | 97 |
| 2010 | CAR (2–14) | 16 | 25 | 29 | 86.2 | 0–0 | 9–9 | 2–2 | 11–14 | 3–4 | 55 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 100.0 | 92 |
| 2011 | NO (13–3) | 16 | 28 | 34 | 82.4 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 10–10 | 5–8 | 2–5 | 53 | 0 | 63 | 63 | 100.0 | 147 |
| Career (21 seasons) | 301 | 461 | 563 | 81.9 | 12–12 | 144–147 | 143–160 | 120–161 | 42–83 | 56 | 14 | 587 | 598 | 98.2 | 1970 | |
Kasay formerly held the record for most field goals in a single season with 37 in1996, and he was awarded aPro Bowl appearance as a result. This has been surpassed byOlindo Mare (39 in 1999),Neil Rackers (42 in 2005), andDavid Akers (44 in 2011).
Kasay also holds many[9] NFL records as a placekicker. He is second all-time for field goals made from 50+ yards (42) made behind onlyJason Hanson (50) and is the only player to convert on four field goals from 46+ yards in a single game.[10]
Kasay hit his 400th field goal on December 6, 2009, in a game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. He is only the 7th player in NFL history to accomplish that. Kasay is the longest tenured player to play for the Panthers.
As of 2017[update]'s NFL off-season, John Kasay held at least 9 Panthers franchise records, including:
Kasay is married with two sons and two daughters[11] and is a Christian.[12] He served as the athletic director for theCharlotte Christian School after retiring from football and is working to publish a biography.
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Media related toJohn Kasay at Wikimedia Commons