Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( pronounced " gust - OW - ski " ; ) ( born January 28 , 1984 ) is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th pick , one of just two kickers drafted , and the only rookie kicker to make an NFL roster that year . Gostkowski , who played both college football and baseball for the University of Memphis , is the most accurate kicker in Patriots history , and one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history . He is also a consistent and prolific scorer : he is only the second player in NFL history to score 500 points in his first four seasons in the league . Also , given the Patriots ' propensity to find the end zone , Gostkowski holds the record for most extra points in one season , with 74 in 2007 ( and the second highest total in NFL history , 66 in 2012 ) . Early years . Gostkowski graduated from Madison Central High School in Madison , Mississippi in 2002 . While there , he won four varsity letters each in football and soccer , and three in baseball , and was an All - State honoree in all three sports . Gostkowski holds the school record for longest field goal , a 55 - yard kick . His teammates at Madison Central included current 49ers linebacker Parys Haralson and Seahawks center Chris Spencer . His opponents included current Atlanta Falcons running back Jerious Norwood , who returned one of Gostkowski ' s kickoffs from two yards deep in the end zone ; Gostkowski raced him down at the 25 - yard line to prevent a touchdown . His most common nickname growing up was " Beaver " ; he lost two front teeth playing hockey and had fake teeth that were too large put in as replacements . While at Memphis , he was dubbed " Gotti " by Tigers head coach Tommy West , because West couldn ' t pronounce Gostkowski correctly . College career . Gostkowski attended the University of Memphis where he majored in Exercise and Sport Science . Gostkowski actually received a baseball scholarship at Memphis , and was a walk - on on the football team . He finished his college career with a total of 369 points , a school record , and 13th overall in NCAA Division I - A history , converting 70 of 92 field goals and 159 of 165 extra point s ( PATs ) during his Tiger career . His 70 FGs and 159 PATs both set school records previously held by Joe Allison ( 1990 – 1993 ) . He earned first team All - Conference USA honors in both his junior and senior years and was named Conference USA ' s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005 . In 2005 , his senior season , Gostkowski handled kickoff duties for Memphis , and had 39 touchback s on 68 kickoffs . Gostkowski did so using a one - inch tee ( the height of NFL tees ) , rather than the two - inch tees allowed by the NCAA at the time . Thus , NFL talent scouts could more accurately project his potential . In a 2005 game against Houston , Gostkowski managed the rare feat of recovering his own onside kick . Professional career . 2006 season . Gostkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th pick . During the Patriots ' 2006 training camp , he competed with veteran kicker Martín Gramática , who the Patriots had signed as a free agent after Adam Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts . On August 23 , 2006 , before their third preseason game , the Patriots cut Gramática , and gave the job to rookie Gostkowski . ( This is the reverse of what the makers of the video game " Madden NFL 07 " expected ; in the game , New England ' s place kicker is Gramática , not Gostkowski , who is listed as a free agent . ) Since Gramática ' s release , Gostkowski has not faced any competition for his job . During the 2006 preseason , Gostkowski was perfect on kicks and PATs , going 9 - for - 9 and 11 - for - 11 , respectively , for a total of 38 points . His longest field goal was a 54 - yard attempt against the New York Giants in the last preseason game . On November 26 , 2006 , Gostkowski made the longest regular - season kick of his young career , a 52 - yard kick against the Chicago Bears , which is also the longest kick ever made at Gillette Stadium . Gostkowski finished the 2006 season as the highest - scoring rookie , with 103 points ( 20 field goals and 43 PATs ) , edging out the 96 points scored by Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones - Drew . While Gostkowski struggled early in his rookie season — he had two consecutive kicks blocked — Patriots reporters and fans have noted that his kickoffs are noticeably longer than were Vinatieri ' s in his last season in Foxboro . During the 2006 season , he averaged 65 . 5 yards per kickoff with a return average of 23 yards , and a total of 12 touchbacks . ( By comparison , in 2005 , Vinatieri ' s average kickoff was just 61 . 6 yards , though playing in a dome in 2006 he averaged 65 . 8 yards . ) He also , somewhat surprisingly , did better overall on FG kicks than did opposing teams : while Gostkowski made 20 of 26 kicks , for a conversion rate of 76 . 9 % , opposing kickers made just 22 of 30 , for a conversion rate of just 73 . 3 % . Gostkowski ' s rookie season was statistically about the same as Vinatieri ' s : Vinatieri converted 27 of 35 kicks ( 77 . 3 % ) , but missed three PATs ( 39 / 42 ) . Gostkowski also had to contend with having three different holders during the season . After his first holder , punter Josh Miller , was placed on injured reserve after week 11 , the Patriots signed Ken Walter , who held for weeks 12 to 15 until he too was placed on IR . Though the Patriots hired Todd Sauerbrun to punt , holding duties were given to the Patriots ' backup quarterback Matt Cassel ( which led to one regular - season kick that , while good , made two bizarre turns in mid - air ) . 2006 postseason . In the AFC Wildcard Game of the 2006 postseason against the New York Jets , Gostkowski was perfect on all his kick attempts , converting three field goal attempts ( from 20 , 40 , and 28 yards ) and four extra points . He also had one kickoff go through the back of the end zone ( over 80 yards ) for a touchback . In the against the San Diego Chargers , Gostkowski made three of three field goals , including a 50 - yard kick that was the longest successful kick in Patriots postseason history . He also made a 34 - yarder in the third quarter and a 31 - yard kick with 1 : 10 left in the fourth that made him only the third NFL rookie to attempt a game - winning playoff kick in the fourth quarter or overtime . ( One of the others was Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding , who missed his attempt in the 2004 playoffs ; in this game , Kaeding missed a potential game - tying 54 - yarder in the closing seconds . ) Gostkowski also converted his only extra point attempt of the game following a Jabar Gaffney touchdown in the second quarter . In the , Gostkowski again converted all of his kicks ( two field goals and four PATs ) , and recorded two touchbacks on kickoffs , including one late in the fourth quarter after his second kick gave the Patriots a 34 - 31 lead . Expectations from the Vinatieri years . As an untested rookie , Gostkowski faced special scrutiny in the playoffs , given the playoff heroics of Vinatieri . Gostkowski performed admirably , making all eight of his field goal kicks ; he also recorded three touchbacks , including two in the Patriots ' January 21 , 2007 loss to the Colts at the RCA Dome . 2007 season . Although Gostkowski ranked just 30th in field goal attempts through the first 12 weeks of the NFL season ( 16 attempts , 14 converted ) , he managed to equal his entire 2006 output in those 12 weeks , thanks to an NFL - leading 61 extra point attempts , all of which he converted . In Week 15 , against the Jets , Gostkowski broke Uwe von Schamann ' s record for most PATs converted in a season , with his 67th successful attempt . In Week 16 , against the Dolphins , for whom von Schamann played , Gostkowski also had his 71st PAT attempt , breaking von Schamann ' s record of 70 . Gostkowski finished the season with three more PATs against the New York Giants in Week 17 to finish a perfect 74 - for - 74 on PATs , eclipsing Jeff Wilkins ' 1999 record of 64 - for - 64 with the St . Louis Rams . Gostkowski also went 21 for 24 on field goals to finish with 137 points on the season , the third - highest total of any player that year ( rookie Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby had 141 , and Patriots receiver Randy Moss had 138 ) . Gostkowski also had the distinction , in the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens , of kicking off from the Ravens ' 35 - yard line as the result of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and an offside call on the Ravens defense on his PAT attempt . Gostkowski recorded a touchback on the kickoff , but there was confusion after the game as to whether or not the Patriots could have improved their field position by kicking the ball out - of - bounds instead . 2007 postseason . Gostkowski only had two field goal attempts in the postseason , both in the divisional game against the Jacksonville Jaguars ; Gostkowski converted one , but missed the other , his only failed postseason conversion . He was , however , perfect on his PAT attempts , going 9 - for - 9 . 2008 season . Gostkowski was a key contributor in the Patriots ' 19 – 10 win over the New York Jets in Week 2 , the game that marked Matt Cassel ' s debut as a starter . Gostkowski kicked 4 of 4 field goals from 21 , 37 , 28 , and 27 yards , and recorded touchback s on the first five of his six kickoffs ( the last kick was returned to the 20 before a Raymond Ventrone tackle ) . In October , Gostkowski , after going 9 - for - 10 on field goals and 11 - for - 11 on PATs for a team - high 38 points , was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for the first time in his career . In Week 16 , Gostkowski had the highest - scoring game of his NFL career , converting 4 of 4 field goals , and 5 of 5 PATs . The 17 - point performance gave him a total of 34 field goals on the season , breaking Tony Franklin ' s 1986 franchise record of 32 , and 141 points scored , tying Vinatieri ' s post - merger franchise record , with one game still to play . ( Former wide receiver / kicker Gino Cappelletti scored 155 points for the Patriots in 1964 , and 147 points in 1961 , but those include 44 and 56 points on receptions . ) Gostkowski finished the season with a league - leading 148 points , the 13th - highest single - season total in NFL history ; his 36 field goals converted is the sixth - best total , and the most since Neil Rackers made 40 in 2005 . In December 2008 Gostkowski was selected for his first Pro Bowl appearance as the AFC kicker ; his selection was the result of the players ' and coaches ' votes , as he did not finish in the top five in fan voting . The Associated Press also voted him to the All - Pro First Team for the first time ; he received 28 of the 50 votes for kicker . 2009 season . In the Patriots ' last - minute 25 – 24 victory over the Buffalo Bills , Gostkowski recorded his first fumble recovery . When Leodis McKelvin fumbled the ball on a kickoff return , with the Patriots trailing 24 – 19 , Gostkowski recovered the ball at the Bills ' 31 - yard line . Tom Brady , describing the play in his postgame press conference , used yet another nickname for Gostkowski : " Meat , " a reference to " Bull Durham " , coined by former Patriots punter Josh Miller during Gostkowski ' s rookie season . Gostkowski won his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in the Patriots ' Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins , in which he recorded four field goals and two touchback s , including one on a re - kick from the Patriots ' 25 - yard line following an offside penalty . Gostkowski finished the season going 26 - for - 31 on field goals ( 83 . 9 % ) . He was a perfect 47 - for - 47 on extra points and had a then - career - high 67 . 8 yard average on kickoffs . 2010 season . Gostkowski ' s rookie contract expired after the 2009 season , which normally would have made him an unrestricted free agent . As a result of the expiring NFL - NFLPA collective bargaining agreement , however , Gostkowski became a restricted free agent ; the Patriots offered him the second - round tender of $ 1 , 759 , 000 for the 2010 season . Gostkowski signed the tender on April 17 . On August 26 , 2010 , the Patriots signed Gostkowski to a four - year extension . While he will play 2010 on his tender contract , the extension will give him $ 14 million from 2011 to 2014 , with $ 5 million guaranteed . Gostkowski began the 2010 season missing three of his first four field goal attempts over two games . However , in Week 4 , against the Miami Dolphins , Gostkowski recorded five touchbacks in a single game ; two weeks later , Gostkowski kicked his first overtime game - winning kick in the Patriots ' over the Baltimore Ravens . In Week 9 , Gostkowski was not able to finish the Patriots ' game against the Cleveland Browns after sustaining a thigh injury ; he was replaced by wide receiver Wes Welker . Three days later , on November 10 , the Patriots placed Gostkowski on injured reserve with a torn quadriceps muscle , ending his season . The Patriots signed veteran kicker Shayne Graham to replace him . Gostkowski finished the injury - shortened season 10 - for - 13 on field goals ( 76 . 9 % ; tying his career low set in 2006 ) , while setting a career high with an average kickoff distance of 67 . 9 yards . He was 26 - for - 26 on his extra point attempts . 2011 season . As Gostkowski recovered from his quadriceps injury , for the first time since his rookie season , he was not the only kicker in training camp ; the Patriots brought in former University of Massachusetts kicker Chris Koepplin to help manage Gostkowski ' s workload ; they released Koepplin before the start of the season . In Week 16 , after scoring a field goal against the Miami Dolphins to make the score 17 – 3 in favor of Miami , Gostkowski made a tackle of Clyde Gates on the subsequent kickoff that was credited as " pivotal " in the Pats ' comeback victory . Instead of allowing a touchdown , Gostkowski tackled Gates at the Miami 38 . Miami lost the ball on the ensuing possession , and the Patriots went on to score a touchdown of their own , closing the deficit to 17 – 10 en route to a 28 – 24 win . Gostkowski finished the season with 143 points , just five short of his career high in 2007 ; he made 28 of 33 field goals and all 59 of his extra - point attempts . Gostkowski was one of two kickers to score five or more points in every game in 2011 ( the other was David Akers ) , and just the third player in NFL history to manage the feat ( Gary Anderson also did it in 1998 ) . 2012 season . In week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals , Gostkowski was a perfect 4 - 4 before missing a potential game - winning field goal from 42 yards wide left thus ending the game with the Arizona Cardinals winning the game 20 - 18 .