Lawrence Tynes

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Lawrence James Henry Tynes (born May 3, 1978 in Greenock, Scotland) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Troy State.

[edit] Early years

Tynes was a standout kicker at Milton High School in Milton, Florida.

[edit] College career

Tynes attended Troy State University (now simply Troy University), graduating with a degree in criminal justice, and holds school records for career field goals (45), and points (262).

[edit] Professional career

[edit] First stint with Chiefs

Tynes originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Kansas City in 2001. He also played in 10 games for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2002.

[edit] Ottawa Renegades

Tynes joined the Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League in 2003. Tynes holds Renegades records for most field goals in a single game (6) and most field goals in a single season (51).

[edit] Second stint with Chiefs

Tynes' 82.3% field goal percentage and strong leg earned him another tryout with the Chiefs. He replaced Morten Andersen as the Chiefs' kicker for the 2004 NFL season.

In 2004, Tynes made 17 of 23 field goals and 58 of 60 extra points, also handling kickoff duties.

[edit] New York Giants

After a sub-par 2006 season with the Chiefs, Tynes was traded to the New York Giants on May 22, 2007 for a conditional draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He competed with and beat out Josh Huston for the Giants' placekicking job. Tynes became the first player to score NFL points at the new Wembley Stadium when the Giants played the Miami Dolphins in London on October 28, 2007.

Tynes missed two potential game-winning field goals against the Green Bay Packers in the 2007-2008 NFC Championship Game. He connected on a third in overtime, scoring from 47 yards and sending the Giants to Super Bowl XLII. The game winning field goal was the longest kicked in postseason history at Lambeau Field. Tynes scored the first and last points (5 points in total - including 1 field goal) in the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory.

Tynes, who was going to be a free agent in the 2008 offseason, signed a five-year, $7 million contract with the Giants on February 11, 2008.

[edit] Personal

Since joining the Giants, Tynes and his family have lived in Clifton, New Jersey.^[1] He and his wife, Amanda, continue to make their offseason home in the Kansas City area in Overland Park, where their boys were born last summer. “I’ll be there a week after the Super Bowl,” Tynes said. “I’ll live there the rest of my life. I just like the area. It’s nice. It’s cheap.” ^[2]

Tynes is the fifth Scottish-born player in NFL history, and one of only three British players and the first Scot to win the Super Bowl, along with Scott McCready and Osi Umenyiora. [2]. Before Super Bowl XLII, Tynes, a huge Celtic F.C. fan, received a video link of good wishes from Celtic manager Gordon Strachan.

Lawrence Tynes is the son of a former Navy SEAL. His father, Larry Tynes, was a member of SEAL Team 2 stationed in Scotland in the early 1970s. He is currently a detective in the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's department in Milton Florida. His brother Mark Tynes is currently serving a 27 year federal prison sentence for marijuana trafficking. His brother Jason Tynes served in the United States Army in Iraq and Kuwait.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• New York Giants bio