Robbie Gould
 Gould on the sideline in November 2009 |
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| No. 9 Chicago Bears | |
| Placekicker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: December 30, 1981 | |
| Place of birth: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Penn State | |
| Undrafted in 2005 | |
| Debuted in 2005 for the Chicago Bears | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2011 | |
| Field Goals Made | 184 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 214 |
| Field Goals % | 86.0 |
| Long Field Goal | 57 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Robert Paul "Robbie" Gould III (
/ˈɡoʊld/; born December 30, 1981) is an American football placekicker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State. He is currently the second most accurate kicker in NFL history.[1]
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[edit] Early years
Gould was born to Cheryl and Robert Gould in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. His father was a three-time All-American soccer player who led Lock Haven University to a Division III national championship in 1977.[2] and was drafted by the St. Louis Steamers in the early 80s. His brother, Christopher, was formerly a kicker and punter for the University of Virginia.[3] (Chris now plays for the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League) He attended Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, where he won letters in football, soccer, basketball, and track. During the 2000 Boys' Soccer District Championship, Gould scored the game winning goal with seconds left. Although originally interested in becoming a professional soccer player, he eventually chose to pursue a career in football, asking his high school principal to send a letter of recommendation to Penn State head football coach, Joe Paterno, who invited Gould to try out as a freshman walk-on.[2]
[edit] Professional career
The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots signed rookie free-agent Gould prior to the 2005 NFL preseason, despite the fact they already had Adam Vinatieri.[4] Following his preseason release from the Patriots, Gould next signed with the Baltimore Ravens, only to be waived three weeks later. Following his stint with Baltimore, Gould worked construction at M&R Contracting in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania.[5] The Bears signed him on October 8, 2005, following the Week 3 injury of their starting kicker, Doug Brien.[6] Gould kicked his first NFL field goal the next week in a 20–10 loss at Cleveland, and his first game-winner in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints. He would finish the 2005 season with a 77% field goal percentage and hitting all but one of his 20 PAT attempts.
Gould kicked 26 consecutive field goals during the 2006 NFL season. His accomplishments broke former Bears’ kicker Kevin Butler’s record of most consecutive field goals, and landed him acclaim as the NFL Special Teams Player of the Month for October 2006. Additionally, NFL fans across the nation selected Gould as the NFC’s kicker for the 2007 Pro Bowl. He was also named to the 2006 All-Pro team by the Associated Press.[7] Gould made a 25-yard field goal in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, allowing the Bears to emerge victorious and clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs.[8] On January 14, 2007, Gould kicked a 49-yard field goal in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks, enabling the Bears to win their first divisional playoff game since 1988 and advance to the NFC Championship game. The Bears won the NFC Championship game, but lost Super Bowl XLI, 29–17.
Gould was named NFC special teams player of the month for December 2008 after making all eight of his field goal attempts, including two game-winners in overtime. Gould became just the fourth kicker in NFL history to hit game-winning field goals in overtime in back-to-back games. Gould converted 26 of 29 field goal attempts (89.7 percent) in 2008, breaking his own franchise single-season record for accuracy. Going into the 2009 season, Gould had converted 84.8 of his career field goal attempts.[9] He has only ever missed one extra point attempt.
On May 12, 2008, Gould signed an extension with the Bears that would keep him on the team through the 2013 season.[10] The contract, reportedly worth $15.5 million, which includes a $4.25 million signing bonus, makes Gould the NFL's highest-paid kicker.[11]
On December 11, 2011 Gould kicked a career long and Chicago Bears franchise record 57-yard field goal against the Denver Broncos. Gould's previous best was 53 yards against the Carolina Panthers during the 2010 NFL Regular Season. Gould also sits in second place on the career most accurate NFL kickers list, moving in front of Mike Vanderjagt, but still behind Nate Kaeding.
[edit] Personal life
He is good friends with teammate Patrick Mannelly and who directly assists Gould on every field goal and extra point attempt as the long snapper.[12][13]
Gould performed Take me out to the ball game during the Seventh inning stretch at a Chicago Cubs' game on April 17, 2009, after throwing the first pitch. He later had an interview with WGN-TV's commentators, Len Kasper and Bob Brenly.[12]
Despite the misleading spelling of his surname, "Gould" is pronounced "gōld", just like gold, prompting many announcers to use the phrase "Robbie Gould is gold" or "Good as Gould" when scoring a field goal.[14]
His younger brother Chris Gould plays for Chicago's Arena football team Chicago Rush. His cousin Brandon Thomas Gould is an offensive linemen for Bethune-Cookman University in his senior year.
[edit] References
- ^ You Are Here > Pro-Football-Reference.com > Leaders > Career Field Goal % Leaders Career Field Goal % Leaders, pro-football-reference.com, Retrieved on 4-23-2011.
- ^ a b Altoona Mirror | Altoona Mirror[dead link]
- ^ CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports
- ^ Scout.com: Gould Getting a Leg Up
- ^ Mayer, Larry (2006-12-20). "Bears Pro Bowlers traversed different path to NFL". chicagobears.com. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=2832. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/CHI/8958220
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070109/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_nfl_all_pro_team
- ^ Grossman stays hot in leading Bears to win - Chicago Bears
- ^ chicagotribune.com (2008-05-12). "Huddle Up: Gould's Five year extension makes him highest paid kicker". blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com. http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/robbie_gould/. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
- ^ espn.com (2008-05-12). "Year after Pro Bowl season, Bears sign kicker Gould to five-year extension". espn.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3392524. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
- ^ Seligman, Andrew (2008-05-12). "Bears make Robbie Gould NFL's highest-paid kicker". The Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9235167. Retrieved 2008-05-12.[dead link]
- ^ a b WGN-TV, MLB Baseball : "St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, April 22, 2007, 2007 Chicago Cubs season.
- ^ Students get lowdown on Bears kicker - DaBearz - Chicago Bears Message Board
- ^ Chicago Bears Strike a Gold Mine Signing Robbie Gould through 2013 | Bleacher Report
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Official Bears' Profile
- "Gould Getting a Leg Up", scout.com, January 22, 2007
- "Lock Haven native now living the American dream", The Altoona Mirror, January 28, 2007
- Official NFL Player Page
| Preceded by Doug Brien |
Chicago Bears Kickers 2005-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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