Thomas Morstead

Thomas Morstead

No. 6     New Orleans Saints
Punter
Personal information
Date of birth: March 8, 1986 (1986-03-08)
Place of birth: Pearland, Texas
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Weight: 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College: Southern Methodist
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 5 / Pick: 164
Debuted in 2009 for the New Orleans Saints
Career history
New Orleans Saints (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Honorable mention All-Conference USA (2008) First Team All-Conference USA (2007) All-Conference USA third-team (2006) Super Bowl Champion (XLIV)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2011
Punts	158
Punting yards	7,202
Gross punting average	45.6
Net punting average	40.5
Stats at NFL.com

Thomas Morstead is an American football punter and kickoff specialist for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Saints 164th overall (fifth-round) in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at SMU.

High School Years

Morstead attended Pearland High School and was an excellent student-athlete. He won varsity letters in football and soccer. In football, as a senior, Morstead received second-team All-District honors and was named the Brazoria County Special Teams MVP. He was also a member of the National Honor Society, adding Academic All-State honors.

College career

Morstead decided to enroll at Southern Methodist in 2004, turning down scholarship offers from Texas Christian, Rice, Texas and Missouri, but spent the season as a redshirt. He was a member of the Conference USA's Academic Honor Roll in 2005, but never appeared in a game.

Morstead took over place-kicking and punting chores in 2006, earning All-Conference USA third-team honors. He led the league and ranked 15th in the nation in punting, averaging 43.82 yards on 50 attempts, the best average by an SMU punter since Craig James averaged 44.9 yards in 1982. He made 13 of 18 field goals and 34 of 35 extra points for a total of 73 points, as he also recorded one solo tackle.

As a sophomore Morstead was a consensus All-Conference USA first-team pick and also gained league academic honors. He again led C-USA and finished eighth nationally with a 44.65-yard average, as the Mustangs also ranked fourth in the NCAA with a 39.33-yard net average. He scored 82 points and set the league single-season record by making all 43 PAT attempts, as he also connected on 13 of 20 field goals. Morstead concentrated more on directional punting in 2008. The All-Conference USA honorable mention averaged a career-low 41.78 yards on 59 punts, but only 19 were returned, as the Mustangs placed third in the league with a 37.22-yard net average. He made 11 of 15 field goals, 29 of 30 extra points and amassed 62 points. Morstead missed three kicks inside of 40 yards in 2008, four in both 2006 and 2007.

Professional career

Morstead was drafted on the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft, #164 overall, by the New Orleans Saints. He was the second punter chosen in 2009, after Kevin Huber (by the Cincinnati Bengals).

New Orleans Saints

Morstead beat out Glenn Pakulak for the Saints' punting job in 2009. He played a critical role in the Saints' victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Morstead executed an onside kick during the second half kickoff. The Saints recovered the ball and were able to convert that possession into a touchdown and a 13-10 lead. The Saints would eventually win the game 31-17. After the game, Morstead stated that while he was excited about executing the play, he was also terrified knowing that if the play was not executed perfectly, the Colts would have likely recovered the ball with a shot of extending their 10-6 lead. He currently holds the record for most touchbacks in one game(9).

External links

• SMU Mustangs bio
• New Orleans Saints bio