 Janikowski with theOakland Raiders in 2012 | |||||||||||||
| No. 11 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Placekicker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1978-03-02)March 2, 1978 (age 47) Wałbrzych,Polish People’s Republic | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Seabreeze(Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.) | ||||||||||||
| College | Florida State (1997–1999) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2000: 1st round, 17th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (Polish pronunciation:[sɛˈbastjanjaɲiˈkɔfskʲi]; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former professionalfootballplacekicker who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with theOakland Raiders. He playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles and was selected 17th overall in the2000 NFL draft by the Raiders.[1] During his final season, Janikowski played for theSeattle Seahawks.
One of only five NFL kickers to be selected in the first round of an NFL draft, Janikowski is the Raiders' all-time leading scorer and appeared in more games with the franchise than any other player. He also tied the then-NFL record for the longest successful field goal at 63 yards, which is the fourth-longest in league history.
Sebastian Janikowski was born on March 2, 1978, as an only child toHenryk and Halina Janikowski inWałbrzych,Poland. His father was a professionalsoccer player and moved to the United States in the early 1980s in the hopes of reviving his career. Years after Janikowski's father emigrated from Poland, his parents divorced, and Henryk married an American citizen. Left at home with just his mother, Janikowski began to excel at soccer himself, and when he was 15, Janikowski earned a spot on thePolish under-17 team.
His father's marriage to an American meant Janikowski could legally emigrate to the United States. He spoke very littleEnglish, but learned quickly by taking a three-week night class and by watching television. Janikowski played in only five games for the Orangewood Christian soccer team, but led them to the Class A State Championship game by scoring 15 goals, where they lost to Lakeland Christian onpenalty kicks (3–2). Then living inOrlando, Florida with his father and stepmother, Janikowski joined theOrlando Lions, an under-19 soccer club coached by Angelo Rossi. Rossi was also the soccer coach atSeabreeze High School inDaytona Beach, and convinced Henryk that his son would be better off there. Henryk agreed, but was unwilling to move, so Janikowski moved in with Rossi's family.[2]
During his senior year at Seabreeze, Janikowski played both soccer andfootball after being recruited by the school's football coach. As the team's placekicker, he quickly earned a reputation by kicking four field goals of 50+ yards. One of them was for 60 yards, third-best in Florida high school history. During a practice at Seabreeze High, he kicked an 82-yard field goal.[2]USA Today named Janikowski to its 1996All-American team. After being heavily recruited by some of the topcollegiate football programs, Janikowski decided onFlorida State University.[2]
Janikowski attendedFlorida State University, where he played for coachBobby Bowden'sFlorida State Seminoles football team. Bowden later said, "Boy, have you ever thought about how many national championships we might have won if we had Janikowski every year of my career?"[3] In three seasons, he amassed a career scoring total of 324 points (3rd all-time for the school). In 1999, he won theLou Groza Award for a second consecutive year, an honor given annually to the nation's top collegiate kicker. Janikowski is currently the only player to win this award two years consecutively. He became popular with fans for being able to placekick a kick-off through the endzone uprights, having done it so often that the stadium monitors would display field goal graphics even though it was a kick-off and not an actual field goal attempt.
Janikowski was first called "Seabass" while playing for FSU.[1]
Janikowski's career at FSU was not without incident. In August 1998, he got into a fight outside of aTallahassee bar and was charged with failure to leave the premises; he pledno contest to themisdemeanor offense.[citation needed] That same year, the night after a season-ending win over rivalFlorida, Janikowski got into a fight at a local bar and was charged withbattery.[citation needed]
In the 1999 season, FSU was again in contention for a national title. Prior to the team's appearance in the national championship game (the2000 Sugar Bowl inNew Orleans, Louisiana), Janikowski declared his intentions to declare himself eligible for the2000 NFL draft, saying his primary reason for foregoing his senior year was to pay for his mother to come to the United States.[4] In his final game for FSU, Janikowski converted 5-of-5 PATs and kicked a 32-yard field goal, helping the Seminoles win their second national championship.[5]
Although Janikowski's skill as a kicker was unquestioned by NFL scouts, his off-the-field behavior was a cause of concern. In January 2000, Janikowski was partying with a group of friends when his high school friend was arrested at a nightclub. Janikowski, who later said he was thinking he could save everyone paperwork and the trouble, approached the arresting officer and asked how much it would take to let his friend go. He was then arrested for attempting to bribe an officer, a charge that carried a $5,000 fine, up to five years in prison, and possible deportation. Janikowski claimed that he thought he could pay a fine to have his friend released, but the officer interpreted the action as an attempted bribe.[6]
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) | 260 lb (118 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values from NFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
Janikowski was selected by theOakland Raiders in the first round with the 17th overall pick in the2000 NFL draft. In a retrospective about his selection years later, it was said that team ownerAl Davis, frustrated at the middling success at the kicker position (the previous season saw them make just one field goal from 50 yards out), wanted to see if he could find a kicker to solve the problem swiftly. While team coachJon Gruden was stated to have preferedSylvester Morris or perhapsShaun Alexander, he went with Davis on the pick for Janikowski, the first pure placekicker to be selected in the first round in the modern era.[8][9]
Shortly after the draft, Janikowski was acquitted of his bribery charge. He had testified on his own behalf, stating that he was simply trying to pay his friend's fine (as opposed to bribing the arresting officer). Just eight days after his acquittal, Janikowski and two friends were arrested in Tallahassee on suspicion of felony possession of the drugGHB. Once again, he faced prison time or deportation if convicted, but was acquitted of all charges in April 2001.[10]
Janikowski's professional career got off to a rough start: in 2000, only 68.8% of his field goal attempts were successful. Despite the struggles, he converted all 46 extra point tries as a rookie.[11] His accuracy improved dramatically in 2001, when 82.1% of his attempts were successful.[12]
Janikowski reachedSuper Bowl XXXVII with the Raiders in 2002, and kicked an early field goal in the first quarter. His kick briefly gave the Raiders a 3–0 lead over theTampa Bay Buccaneers. This would be the Raiders' only lead of the game; they lost 48–21.[13]
On October 16, 2003, during the second quarter, Janikowski tied the NFL record by completing 4 field goals in a single quarter.[14]
After the 2004 season, Janikowski was given a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $10.5 million. This made him (at the time) the highest paid kicker in NFL history.[15]In February 2010, Janikowski extended his contract with the Raiders for $16 million over the next four years, including $9 million in guaranteed money, again making him the highest paid placekicker in NFL history.[16]
On November 4, 2007, he attempted to kick a 64-yard record field goal before halftime against theHouston Texans on a windless Oakland afternoon inMcAfee Coliseum. If successful, the kick would have broken the all-time NFL field goal record of 63 yards. However, it bounced off the right upright and came back out.[17]
On September 28, 2008, Janikowski unsuccessfully attempted a 76-yard field goal against theSan Diego Chargers into the heavy wind right before halftime. This is presumed to be the longest attempt in NFL history; though the league keeps no such records on attempts, the longest known attempts previous to this were 74 yard attempts byMark Moseley andJoe Danelo in 1979.[18]
On October 19, 2008, Janikowski broke his own Raiders team record, making a 57-yard field goal in overtime to defeat theNew York Jets, 16–13, the longest overtime field goal in NFL history. On December 27, 2009, he again broke his own team record by kicking a 61-yard field goal against theCleveland Browns before halftime. On December 26, 2010, Janikowski converted a 59-yard field goal in the second quarter of a home game against theIndianapolis Colts[19] making him the second player with two 59+ yard field goals (Morten Andersen). On January 3, 2010, he reached his 1,000th career point with a 39-yard field goal against theBaltimore Ravens.
On September 12, 2011, as a rainy first half against the Denver Broncos came to a close, Janikowski made a 63-yard field goal and tied the NFL record set byTom Dempsey in 1970 and previously tied byJason Elam (1998) and afterwards byDavid Akers (2012), but which was subsequently broken byMatt Prater of the Denver Broncos (64 yards),Justin Tucker of theBaltimore Ravens (67 yards), andCam Little of theJacksonville Jaguars (68 yards).[20] On November 27, 2011, in a game against theChicago Bears, he made 6 field goals of 40, 47, 42, 19, 37, and 44 yards to break the team record of most field goals in a single game.[21] He attempted a record-breaking 65-yard field goal on December 18, 2011, against theDetroit Lions, butNdamukong Suh blocked it to end the game.[22]
In2011 Janikowski received an invite to thePro Bowl and earned second-teamAll-Pro honors.[23][24]
In August 2013, Janikowski signed a four-year contract extension with the Raiders for $19 million over five years, including $8 million guaranteed.[25]
Prior to the 2017 season, he took a pay cut from his $4.05 million base salary to $3 million but it became fully guaranteed. On September 9, 2017, he was placed on injured reserve due to back issues andGiorgio Tavecchio was signed on from the practice squad to temporarily take his place as kicker.[26][27] On February 14, 2018, it was reported that Janikowski would not be re-signed by the Raiders.[28]
On April 13, 2018, Janikowski signed a one-year contract with theSeattle Seahawks.[29] He won the Seahawks starting kicking job after the team releasedJason Myers on August 20, 2018.[30] In Week 12 against theCarolina Panthers, Janikowski made all three extra points and three field goals, including a 31-yard game winner as the Seahawks won 30–27. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[31] Janikowski finished the 2018 season converting 48 of 51 extra point attempts and 22 of 27 field goal attempts.[32]
On January 5, 2019, Janikowski missed a 57-yard field goal against theDallas Cowboys in theWild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs and suffered a hamstring injury on the same missed field goal kick.[33][34][35] The kicker position was left in the hands of rookie Seahawks punter,Michael Dickson, who missed an onside kick that would have potentially put the Seahawks back in position to score and win the game.[36]
On April 28, 2019, Janikowski announced his retirement after 19 years in the NFL. He ended his career as the Raiders' all-time leading scorer, with 1,799 points.[37][38]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points[a] | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGA | FGM | Lng | Pct | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
| 2000 | OAK | 14 | 32 | 22 | 54 | 68.8 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 112 |
| 2001 | OAK | 15 | 28 | 23 | 52 | 82.1 | 42 | 42 | 100.0 | 111 |
| 2002 | OAK | 16 | 33 | 26 | 51 | 78.8 | 50 | 50 | 100.0 | 128 |
| 2003 | OAK | 16 | 25 | 22 | 55 | 88.0 | 29 | 28 | 96.6 | 94 |
| 2004 | OAK | 16 | 28 | 25 | 52 | 89.3 | 32 | 31 | 96.9 | 106 |
| 2005 | OAK | 16 | 30 | 20 | 49 | 66.7 | 30 | 30 | 100.0 | 90 |
| 2006 | OAK | 16 | 25 | 18 | 55 | 72.0 | 16 | 16 | 100.0 | 70 |
| 2007 | OAK | 16 | 32 | 23 | 54 | 71.9 | 28 | 28 | 100.0 | 97 |
| 2008 | OAK | 16 | 30 | 24 | 57 | 80.0 | 26 | 25 | 96.2 | 97 |
| 2009 | OAK | 16 | 29 | 26 | 61 | 89.7 | 17 | 17 | 100.0 | 95 |
| 2010 | OAK | 16 | 41 | 33 | 59 | 80.5 | 43 | 43 | 100.0 | 142 |
| 2011 | OAK | 15 | 35 | 31 | 63 | 88.6 | 36 | 36 | 100.0 | 129 |
| 2012 | OAK | 16 | 34 | 31 | 57 | 91.2 | 25 | 25 | 100.0 | 118 |
| 2013 | OAK | 16 | 30 | 21 | 53 | 70.0 | 37 | 37 | 100.0 | 100 |
| 2014 | OAK | 16 | 22 | 19 | 57 | 86.4 | 28 | 28 | 100.0 | 85 |
| 2015 | OAK | 16 | 26 | 21 | 56 | 80.8 | 39 | 38 | 97.4 | 101 |
| 2016 | OAK | 16 | 35 | 29 | 56 | 82.9 | 39 | 37 | 94.9 | 124 |
| 2017 | OAK | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||
| 2018 | SEA | 16 | 27 | 22 | 56 | 81.5 | 51 | 48 | 94.1 | 114 |
| Career | 284 | 542 | 436 | 63 | 80.4 | 614 | 605 | 98.5 | 1,913 | |
| Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points[b] | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGA | FGM | Lng | Pct | XPA | XPM | Pct | ||||
| 2000 | OAK | 2 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 75.0 | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 12 |
| 2001 | OAK | 2 | 5 | 5 | 45 | 100.0 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 19 |
| 2002 | OAK | 3 | 7 | 6 | 43 | 85.7 | 8 | 8 | 100.0 | 26 |
| 2016 | OAK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 2 |
| 2018 | SEA | 1 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 66.7 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 |
| Career | 9 | 19 | 16 | 45 | 84.2 | 17 | 17 | 100.0 | 65 | |
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