Matt Stover

John Matthew "Matt" Stover (born January 27, 1968) is a former American Football placekicker. He played college football for Louisiana Tech. As of the start of the 2009 NFL season, he was the third most accurate kicker in the history of the National Football League. He is of Greek origin and is Christian. He has spent time with the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for 13 seasons. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in October 2009 to replace injured kicker Adam Vinatieri. His signature celebration had his thumbs and pointer fingers pointed outward with his arms halfway or all the way in the air.

Early years
Stover attended Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas (Class of 1986), the alma mater of fellow NFL placekicker Phil Dawson (Cleveland Browns). Stover won All-District honors as both a wide receiver and kicker. During the 1985-86 LHHS season he kicked a 53-yard field goal.

College career
Stover attended Louisiana Tech University. He graduated with a degree in marketing. During his college career, Stover made 64 of 88 field goal attempts. As a sophomore, facing Texas A&M, he kicked a 57-yard field goal, then a school record. He also punted as a senior, punting 36 times for 1,277 yards (34.1 yards per punt avg). He left Louisiana Tech with 262 career total points and seven field goals of 50 yards or more. Stover would sometimes kick the ball through the goal posts on the first kick-off of the game.

Professional career

New York Giants
Stover was drafted by the New York Giants with the 329th selection (12th round) in the 1990 NFL Draft. He was on the injured reserve list the entire season as the Giants won Super Bowl XXV.

Cleveland Browns
Stover signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 and spent five seasons as a Brown.

Baltimore Ravens
In 1996 the Browns moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Ravens. Stover spent the majority of his career as a Raven. In 2000, the Ravens failed to score an offensive touchdown in five straight games, in which Stover, who was selected as a Pro Bowler, scored all the team's points. Stover received a Super Bowl ring that year when the Ravens defeated his former team, the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Stover kept kicking for the Ravens, setting records and kicking 18 late game-winning field goals. 

In 2003, an overtime field goal of just over 40 yards from Stover beat the Seattle Seahawks in a 44-41 shootout. In 2007, a 43-yard kick from Stover beat the Arizona Cardinals in overtime. 

In 2008, Stover booted a 43-yard field goal to win against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round. That was Stover's last field goal as a Raven. The Ravens decided not to re-sign Stover following the 2008 season.

On Nov 20, 2011, Stover was inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor, during a half-time ceremony at M&T Bank Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts
As a free agent Stover signed with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2009 NFL season to replace the injured Adam Vinatieri. In Indianapolis, Stover played in two wins against the Ravens, and helped the Colts to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV, at age 42, an NFL record. He missed an important 52-yard kick in the game against the New Orleans Saints and was not re-signed.

Retirement
Stover announced his retirement from football on May 25, 2011 with the Baltimore Ravens. At the time of his retirement, he was the last remaining member of the original Cleveland Browns still active in the NFL, and was also the last Raven to have played for the franchise before the move. He retired as the NFL's fourth all-time leading scorer.

Career stats

NFL records
 NFL's fifth all-time leading scorer
 Most consecutive PATs: 422
 Most consecutive games with a field goal: 38
 Oldest player to participate in a Super Bowl: 42 years, 11 days old
 Oldest player to score in a Super Bowl: 42 years, 11 days old

References

Other websites 
The Matt Stover Foundation Website 
NFL Profile
NFL Kicking Records 
NFL Career Statistics

Other websites
Matt Stover's NFL player profile

1968 births
Living people
Baltimore Ravens players
Cleveland Browns players
Indianapolis Colts players
American football placekickers
Sportspeople from Dallas, Texas