John Kasay

Infobox NFLactive
currentteam=Carolina Panthers
currentnumber=4
currentposition=Placekicker

---

width=240px
caption=John Kasay during the 2007 season.
birthdate=birth date and age|1969|10|27
birthplace=Athens, Georgia
heightft=5
heightin=10
weight=210
debutyear=1991
debutteam=Seattle Seahawks
highlights=
* Pro Bowl (x1) (1996)
college=Georgia
draftyear=1991
draftround=4
draftpick=98
pastteams=
* Seattle Seahawks (1991-1994)
* Carolina Panthers (1995-present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Field Goals Made
statvalue1=358
statlabel2=Field Goals Attempted
statvalue2=442
statlabel3=Field Goals %
statvalue3=81.0
nfl=KAS023070

John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969 in Athens, Georgia) is an American football player in the NFL currently the placekicker for the Carolina Panthers.

High school years

Kasay attended Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia, and was a kicker/punter. [Cobbs, Matt. [http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/101405/prepstars_20051014062.shtml# "A team of destiny"] , "Athens Banner-Herald", October 14, 2005. Accessed November 27, 2007.] He was an all-state selection with 37 career field goals, including a 54 yarder.

College and pro career

Kasay graduated from the University of Georgia in 1990, and was drafted in the 4th round in 1991 by the Seattle Seahawks. 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 début in the 1995 NFL season, and as of the beginning of the 2008 NFL season he is the only remaining "original Panther" from that 1995 team. To put that into perspective, there are only two kickers who currently play for the same team they played for in 1995: Kasay and Jason Hanson (Detroit). (Matt Stover has played for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens since 1991, but since the franchises are technically considered two separate entities, his tenure does not count.) Kasay owns or is tied for virtually every team kicking record, having only missed a handful of games over the years due to injury. In addition, Kasay has a deadlock on the team's all-time scoring lead, and he will not likely be eclipsed any time soon for that record; his nearest challenger still playing for the Panthers is Steve Smith who, at the start of the 2007 season, was approximately 800 points behind. [ [http://www.panthers.com/Team/Default.aspx?id=794 Panthers All-Time Leaders] ]

In 1996 Kasay converted a league record 37 field goals, though the record was broken three years later. He was later selected as the NFC kicker in the Pro Bowl.

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 the New England Patriots on their drive for the winning field goal.

Kasay holds manyquantify|date=December 2007 NFL records as a placekicker. He is third all-time for field goals made from 50+ yards [ [http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/fieldgoals NFL History - Record and Fact Book] ] and is the only person to complete four field goals from 46+ yards in a single game. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=260924027 ESPN game recap between Panthers and Buccaneers] ]

Personal Life

John Kasay is a Christian, and sometimes signs his life verse as part of his autograph.

External links

* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KASAYJOH01 Current statistics]
* [http://www.panthers.com/Team/PlayerBio.aspx?id=7580 Biography on Panthers.com]

References