Chandler Catanzaro (born February 26, 1991) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

. He was signed by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2014 and later played for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Clemson.

Early years

Catanzaro attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Christ Church Episcopal School Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) is a K–12 private, Episcopal, college-preparatory school in Greenville, South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" S ...

. He considered two colleges:

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

and

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

College career

Catanzaro attended

from 2009–2013. After a freshman year, in which he only made 14 of 22 field goals, he finished with a field goal percentage of 81.7%, missing only one kick in each of his junior and senior years. Catanzaro was the all-time leading scorer in Clemson history with 404 points until Travis Etienne broke the record in 2020.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

In May 2014, the Arizona Cardinals signed the undrafted Catanzaro to compete along with veterans

Jay Feely Thomas James "Jay" Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker and current sportscaster. He started his career with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League as a street free agent in 1999 before playing for sever ...

and Danny Hrapmann. On August 25, 2014, Feely was cut, giving the kicking job to Catanzaro. Catanzaro made his NFL debut on September 8, 2014, against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

, kicking two field goals. On September 14, 2014, Catanzaro kicked four field goals against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He became first Cardinals rookie kicker since

Bill Gramatica Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

(December 2, 2001, against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

) with four field goals in a game. On September 21, 2014, Catanzaro kicked a season/career-long 51-yard field goal against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, which represents the longest field goal by a rookie in

history. On October 26, 2014, he made his 16th consecutive field goal from the start of his career without a miss, setting an NFL rookie record. On November 9, 2014, he extended the streak to 17, but missed his second attempt. This effort tied

Kai Forbath Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at UCLA and was recognized as an All-American and the best college kicker in the country in 2009. Forbath was signed by the Cowboy ...

for the record for most consecutive field goals to start a career. Catanzaro made 29 field goals in the 2014 season, which is the fourth-most in a single season in

history, behind Greg Davis (30),

(30), and

Neil Rackers Neil William Rackers (born August 16, 1976) is a former American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He played college football for the University of Illinois. Rackers was drafted by ...

(40). At the end of the 2014 season, Catanzaro established a new franchise rookie record with 114 points, shattering the previous mark of 73 set by

in 2001. Catanzaro's 114 points ranked as the second-highest total among NFL rookies behind only the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

’

Cody Parkey Cody Parkey (born February 19, 1992) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Auburn and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also been a member of the Phi ...

(150). On October 4, 2015, Catanzaro kicked a career-high five field goals against the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

. On September 25, 2016, Catanzaro kicked a career-long 60-yard field goal against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

in Buffalo. At the time, it was only the 16th field goal of at least 60 yards in the history of the NFL. On October 23, 2016, Catanzaro missed the game-winning field goal in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks. The game eventually ended in a 6-6 tie.

New York Jets

On March 10, 2017, Catanzaro signed with the

. On September 10, 2017, in the season opening 21–12 loss to the

, Catanzaro converted a 48-yard field goal and a 52-yard field goal in his Jets debut. On October 1, 2017, in Week 4, the Jets were playing at home against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

. The game went into overtime with a score of 20–20. Catanzaro had missed a 45-yard field goal earlier in the game. With only 32 seconds left in overtime, he drilled a 41-yard field goal to win the game. On October 8, 2017 in Week 5, Catanzaro kicked a 57-yard field goal, the longest in Jets franchise history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 16, 2018, Catanzaro signed a three-year contract with the

. In the season opener against the New Orleans Saints, he tied his career-high with six extra points converted. On October 21, 2018, in a Week 7 matchup against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, after having missed an extra point attempt and a 40-yard field goal attempt earlier in the game Catanzaro hit a game winning 59-yard field goal in overtime to end the game 26-23, in the process setting the record for the longest field goal made in overtime in NFL history. On November 12, 2018, Catanzaro was released by the Buccaneers after missing two field goals in a 16-3 loss to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. He finished his time with the Buccaneers 11-for-15 on field goals and 23-for-27 on extra points in nine games.

Carolina Panthers

On December 7, 2018, Catanzaro signed with the

following an injury to

Graham Gano Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free ag ...

New York Jets (second stint)

On March 15, 2019, Catanzaro signed with the New York Jets. After announcing his retirement on August 11, 2019, he was placed on the exempt/left squad list on August 11 and then placed on the reserve/left squad list on August 17. He was released from the reserve/left squad list on July 23, 2020.

New York Giants

Catanzaro signed with the

on August 1, 2020. He was released on August 17, 2020.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioESPN player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catanzaro, Chandler 1991 births Living people American football placekickers Arizona Cardinals players Carolina Panthers players Clemson Tigers football players New York Giants players New York Jets players People from Simpsonville, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina Tampa Bay Buccaneers players