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Steve Weatherford
Profession: NFL Punter |
Athlete BioSteve Weatherford attended Terre Haute North Vigo High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he played punter, kicker and safety on the football team. As a punter and place kicker, he set records for the most field goals in a career, longest punting average and longest field goal made (55 yards vs. Lawrence North High School). He averaged 45.4 yards per punt and held a 4.26 second hang time average. As a kicker, Weatherford made 37 of 40 extra point attempts and connected on seven field goals from 40 yards or longer. He was named on the All-Conference Team and earned All-State honors as a kicker twice in a row. In high school, Weatherford also played soccer, track and basketball, earning a total of thirteen varsity letters. He was an All-County forward in soccer in addition to a three-time All-State track team member. He also set a Junior Olympics record in the 4x800 meters relay. College Entering the University of Illinois in 2001, Weatherford redshirted his freshman year. In 2002, he was named the starter, averaging 39.7 yards on 23 punts. In 2003, Weatherford made Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference selection and was averaging 44.5 yards on 43 punts, breaking the school record held by Dike Eddleman since 1948 (43.0 yards per punt). This placed Weatherford second in the Big Ten and 12th in the USA for his punting average. He was also named the school's Special Teams player of the Year. In 2004, Weatherford earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors from the Coaches and Second-Team honors from the media. Sports Illustrated named him the Most Underrated Player in the Big Ten. He again finished second in the Big Ten in punting average and fourth nationally. In his 2005 senior season, Weatherford punted 64 times for a per punt average of 42.8 yards. In his collegiate career, the impressive Punter finished up as the school's all-time leader in career punting average, at 43.6 yards per punt. Professional On April 20, 2006, Weatherford was signed as an un-drafted free agent by New Orleans Saints. He played in all 16 games for the Saints, punting 77 times for an average of 43.8 yards per punt (15th in the NFL). He had a season-long 59 yards, with 19 punts inside the 20-yard line. Weatherford also recorded two solo tackles and a 15-yard rush for a first down. On October 20, 2008, the Saints released him. Since that time, Steve has played with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars; most recently signing with the New York Jets in September of 2009; appointed the Team's punter for the 2009 and 2010 season. During the 2010 season, Weatherford clocked 42 punts inside the 20-yard line – first in NFL rankings. In 2011 Weatherford signed with the New York Giants, where he would later that year become a Super Bowl XLVI Champion. During that game, Steve set a Super Bowl record with the most punts inside the 10 yard line (3). |
Career Highlights
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