Gano during the Ravens' training camp in August 2009 |
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| No. 4 Washington Redskins | |
| Kicker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: April 9, 1987 | |
| Place of birth: Arbroath, Scotland | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Florida State | |
| Undrafted in 2009 | |
| Debuted in 2009 for the Las Vegas Locomotives | |
| Career history | |
|
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011 | |
| Field goals | 58/78 |
| Field Goal % | 74.4 |
| Long Field Goal | 59 |
| Extra Points | 58/60 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career UFL statistics as of 2009 | |
| Field goals | 13/16 |
| Field Goal % | 81.3 |
| Long Field Goal | 53 |
| Extra points | 20/20 |
| Stats at UFL-Football.com | |
Graham Gano (pronounced ga-KNOW) (born April 9, 1987 in Arbroath, Scotland) is an American football placekicker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Florida State. Gano has also played for the Las Vegas Locomotives.
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Gano grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where he attended and played high school football for J.M. Tate High School. In high school he was an All-American First-Team selection by USA Today and the nation's third ranked kicker by Rivals.com.[1] Gano played in the CaliFlorida All-Star game, completing a 50-yard field goal in the game. During his senior season, Gano kicked three field goals over 55 yards (57, 64 and 65 yards) and had a 71-yard field goal made which was negated by a penalty. 36 of his 38 kickoffs were touchbacks and he averaged better than 42 yards per punt as a senior.[2]
Gano attended Florida State University from 2005 to 2008, playing as a kicker and punter for the Florida State Seminoles.
During his senior year in 2008, he finished first in the FBS for field goals made, percentage of field goals converted and 50-yard field goals made, and was the Lou Groza Award winner as the nation's top kicker. He was one of only two kickers in college to make over 90% of his field goal attempts in 2008. He was the highest scoring kicker in America and fourth overall in the FBS in scoring. He also was a Rivals.com, Scout.com and CBS Sports first team All-American. Gano was listed as Walter Camp, Associated Press, Sporting News, SI.com and Phil Steele second team All-American. He earned All-ACC First Team honors as well.
Gano was four-time ACC Specialist of the Week for his kicking performances against NC State, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Maryland. He also was a two-time Lou Groza Star of the Week honoree for his performances in Florida State's victories over NC State and Clemson. He was named offensive special teams player of the year for the Seminoles as selected by the Florida State coaching staff. He also led the ACC in field goals per game with a career-high 2.2 field goals per game average. Gano has the highest FG percentage in the ACC; in 2008 he made 92.3 percent of his field goal attempts (24 of 26) and led the league in field goals made with 24. He was also the ACC's leading scorer with 105 points and a 9.5 points per game average. Gano was also the only kicker in FSU history to convert over 90% of his field goals in a season. He is the only punter ever to be named the MVP of a bowl game, when he was named the Most Valuable Player in the Champs Sports Bowl. He holds the Seminoles single season record for 50 yard field goals, completing five straight attempts from 50 yards or longer. Despite only kicking for one season, he finished second in career 50-yard field goals at FSU behind two time Lou Groza Award winner Sebastian Janikowski.[3]
He signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent immediately after the 2009 NFL Draft. After the Ravens named Steve Hauschka their kicker, the Ravens waived Gano on September 5.
Gano was signed by the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League after being cut by the Ravens. He earned the first points for the league after converting a 32-yard field goal, and hit what was at the time a UFL record long field goal of 53 yards. He was also responsible for the winning field goal which gave the Locomotives the first ever UFL championship.[4] He finished the season leading the league in scoring and field goals made.[5]
On December 8, 2009, he was signed by the Washington Redskins, replacing Shaun Suisham. He successfully connected on his first NFL field goal attempt, a 46 yarder against the Oakland Raiders on December 13, 2009. Gano continued to play for the Redskins in the 2010 season. He cemented his status as a clutch kicker for the Redskins by contributing to 3 overtime game-winning field goals when playing the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars. On November 06, 2011 in a game against the San Francisco 49'ers, Gano kicked a 59 yard field goal breaking the Redskins franchise record of 57 yards.
These statistics are accurate as of November 22, 2010.
| Season | PAT | PAT Pct. | FG-FGA | FG Pct. | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 20/20 | 100% | 13/16 | 81.6% | 53 |
| Total | 20/20 | 100% | 13/16 | 81.6% | 53 |
These statistics are accurate as of December 12, 2010.
| Season | PAT | PAT Pct. | FG-FGA | FG Pct. | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 6/7 | 85.7% | 4/4 | 100% | 46 |
| 2010 | 28/28 | 100.0% | 24/35 | 68.6% | 49 |
| 2011 | 11/11 | 100.0% | 12/16 | 75.5% | 59 |
| Total | 40/41 | 98.1% | 34/48 | 70.8% | 59 |
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| American Football Conference | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC East
Brandon Coutu (Buffalo Bills) |
AFC North
Billy Cundiff (Baltimore Ravens) |
AFC South
Neil Rackers (Houston Texans) |
AFC West
Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) |
| National Football Conference | |||
| NFC East
Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys) |
NFC North
Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears) |
NFC South
Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) |
NFC West
Jay Feely (Arizona Cardinals) |