Christopher Lynn Boswell (born March 16, 1991) is an

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 ...

for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

and was signed by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

in 2014 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 ...

and has also spent time with 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. ...

. Boswell is currently the ninth most accurate kicker in NFL history.

Early years

Boswell 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 ...

at Fossil Ridge High School. He received offers from Rice, Baylor, Kansas State, North Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech before committing to play college football at Rice. His father had grown up in Brazil, playing street soccer. He taught his son the

rabona In association football, the rabona is the technique of kicking the football where the kicking leg is crossed behind the back of the standing leg. There are several reasons why a player might opt to strike the ball this way: for example, a right ...

, a trick he would go on to use in American football.

College career

Boswell was a three-year starter at Rice. With 358 career points, he is second on the all-time Rice scoring list behind ex-NFL wide receiver

Jarett Dillard Jarett Juma Porter Dillard (born December 21, 1985) is an American lawyer and former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. Dillard achieved success as a college football player for Rice, while earning his bachelor's d ...

. While at Rice, Boswell was a member of

Martel College Rice University contains eleven residential colleges which function as the primary housing, dining, and social organizations for undergraduate students. The system was established in 1957 and was inspired by the residential college systems at the ...

Professional career

Houston Texans

The

signed Boswell on May 10, 2014 to compete with

Randy Bullock Randy Bullock (born December 16, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, and was recognized as the nation's best college football kicker a ...

. Boswell was cut on August 29. He was re-signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 23, 2014.

New York Giants

On January 7, 2015, Boswell signed a reserve/future contract with the

. On August 16, 2015, Boswell was waived by the Giants. On September 2, 2015, he was re-signed by the Giants. On September 5, 2015, Boswell was waived after failing to make the final 53-man roster.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2015 season

Boswell signed with the

on October 3, 2015, becoming their fourth placekicker in 2015. Boswell made his

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

debut on October 12, completing all three of his extra points and making a 47-yard field goal attempt in a victory over 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 ...

. He connected on the longest debut conversion in team history, besting

Todd Peterson Joseph Todd Peterson (born February 4, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the New York Giants from the University of Georgia with the ninth pick of the seventh round (177th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft. Peter ...

’s record of 46. On October 18, the following week against 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 ...

, Boswell was 4-for-4 on field goals including kicks of 48, 49, and 51 yards, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He is the first Steeler in team history to make three 47+ yard field goals in one game. On November 8, Boswell kicked three field goals, including the game-winner and three PATs 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 ...

, albeit missing his first field goal season-to-date. On November 15, Boswell kicked three field goals 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 ( ...

. His 14 field goals is tied for fourth among rookie/first-year players in team history, just behind Jeff Reed (2002, 17). On November 29, Boswell kicked three field goals against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. On October 25, Boswell kicked two field goals against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. On December 6, Boswell kicked three field goals against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. On December 13, Boswell kicked four field goals against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. On December 20, Boswell kicked two field goals against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. He tied a franchise record for the most consecutive games played while scoring at least 10 points, tied with Gary Anderson (1985). He also passed

Kris Brown Kristopher Clayton Brown (born December 23, 1976) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons in the late 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Neb ...

for the most made field goals by a rookie or first-year player in the history of the franchise with 29. He also set Steelers’ records for rookie/first-year kickers for points in a season with 113 and field goal percentage at 90.6. On January 7, 2016, Boswell won AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for the month of December. On January 9, 2016, Boswell kicked four field goals in an 18–16 win in the AFC wild card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He successfully kicked a 35-yard game-winning field goal with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game. He set an NFL record for the most field goals by a rookie/first-year player in a playoff game. His four field goals also tied for the most in Steelers playoff history (Gary Anderson in the 1989 Wild Card Round). He also became the youngest kicker to make four field goals in a postseason game. On January 17, 2016, in a loss against the

during the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Boswell tied a franchise record with seven total field goals completed in the post-season.

2016 season

On September 18, Boswell kicked a season-long 49-yard field goal against the

. On October 23, Boswell kicked three field goals but missed two against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. On November 20, Boswell kicked three field goals against the

. On December 11, Boswell kicked two field goals 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. ...

. On December 18, Boswell kicked a career-high six field goals against the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the first kicker in NFL history to convert at least six field goals in a game and have five of those connect from 40+ yards. The last kicker to kick five field goals from 40+ yards in the same game was

Mason Crosby Mason Walker Crosby (born September 3, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Packers chos ...

in 2015. He is the third Pittsburgh Steeler in franchise history to accomplish the feat. ( Jeff Reed in 2002 and Gary Anderson twice in 1988). On January 15, 2017, In the divisional playoff, he set a playoff record, kicking 6 field goals leading the team to beat the

18–16, scoring all of the Steelers' points. Boswell's four first-half field goals also tied the team record for an entire playoff game.

2017 season

On February 2, 2017, the Steelers signed Boswell to a one-year, exclusive-rights contract. In Week 2, against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, Boswell converted four field goals and two extra points in the 26–9 victory. In Week 7, he kicked a season-high five field goals against the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 11, he kicked four field goals in a 40-17 win against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. Boswell made a game-winning 53-yard field goal in Week 12 (November 26, 2017) to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-28 as time expired. His game-winner set a new career-long and tied kicker Dan Bailey's record set in 2016 for the longest NFL field goal ever kicked at

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...

(53 yards) in its 17-year history. The only longer successful attempt was in collegiate play when former

Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...

kicker Jarod Brown made a 54-yard kick against the

Pitt Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

in 2013. In Week 13, Boswell converted both extra points and all three field goal attempts, including a 38-yard game-winner as time expired, in a 23–20 comeback win over the Bengals, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. The next week he kicked four field goals including a game-winner against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

. Throughout the season, Boswell has kicked multiple game-winning field goals in the last minutes, earning him status as one of the Steelers' "Killer B's" and a spot on the AFC's

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

starting roster. He finished the season tied with

Harrison Butker Harrison Butker (born July 14, 1995), nicknamed Butt Kicker (a play on words on his last name and position), is an American football kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia ...

for fourth in scoring with 142 points.

2018 season

On March 12, 2018, the Steelers placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Boswell. On April 5, he signed the tender. On August 23, 2018, the Steelers signed Boswell to a new five-year deal, keeping him under contract through the 2022 season. Boswell was later named a captain alongside

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

Maurkice Pouncey LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Na ...

, and

Cameron Heyward Cameron Phillip Heyward (born May 6, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college ...

. Boswell had a down year in 2018, converting only 13 of 20 field goal attempts and 43 of 48 extra point attempts. His 65% field goal percentage was ranked last among kickers with at least 20 field goal attempts. On November 24, in a loss to the

, Boswell scored his first NFL touchdown on a fake field goal in the waning moments of the second quarter, tossing a two-yard pass to offensive tackle

Alejandro Villanueva Carlos Alejandro Villanueva Martínez (4 June 1908 – 11 April 1944) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played for Alianza Lima and the Peru national football team. He is considered one of the most important Alianza strikers i ...

as time expired. He would then convert the ensuing extra point, thus accounting for all seven points of the score. Boswell was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2018. It was revealed that he suffered a grade-2 tear in his

groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...

as reported by his brother, Stephen Boswell. Boswell was replaced by kicker

Matt McCrane Matthew McCrane (born September 8, 1994) is an American football placekicker for the DC Defenders of the XFL (2020), XFL. He played college football at Kansas State University. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in ...

for the Steelers' final game against the Cincinnati Bengals for the 2018 season.

2019 season

Boswell rebounded in 2019, going 29 for 31 (93.5%) on field goal attempts and a perfect 28 for 28 on extra point attempts.

2020 season

On November 8, 2020, in a game at

AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...

against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, Boswell made a career-long 59-yard field goal which also set the Steelers franchise record for longest field goal.

2021 season

In the fourth quarter of the Steelers' September 19 game against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, Boswell broke the Heinz Field field goal record with a 56-yard field goal. On October 17, 2021, Boswell hit 3 field goals against the

including a 37-yard game-winning field goal in overtime. On October 31, 2021, against the

, Boswell was concussed on a

fake field goal A fake field goal is a trick play in American football. Simply, it involves a running or passing play done out of a kick formation. Usually the holder (often the punter or backup quarterback on most teams) will throw or run. Less frequently, the pl ...

attempt. The ball was snapped to him, he rolled out right while attempting to pass, and was hit immediately after throwing the ball, which landed incomplete. On November 8, 2021, against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, Boswell missed a PAT in the third quarter, but was 3 for 3 on field goals, hitting a 54-yarder, a 52-yarder, and a game-winning 40-yarder.

2022 season

On August 1, 2022, Boswell signed a four-year, $20 million contract extension with the Steelers. During the season-opener at the

, Boswell missed a 55-yard field goal that would have won the game in overtime which hit the left upright. However, he would go on to kick a 53-yard game-winning field goal, converting on three of four field goal attempts in that game. Three weeks later, Boswell made a 59-yard field goal against the

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 ...

as time expired in the second quarter, making it the longest field goal scored at Acrisure Stadium to date. On November 10, 2022, Boswell was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. He was activated on December 10.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

, - ! style="text-align:center;",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 12 , , 29 , , 32 , , 90.63% , , 0 , , 51 , , 26 , , 27 , , 96.3% , , 74 , , 63.2 , , 26 , , 113 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 15 , , 21 , , 25 , , 84.0% , , 0 , , 49 , , 36 , , 36 , , 100.0% , , 80 , , 61.9 , , 49 , , 99 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 16 , , 35 , , 38 , , 92.1% , , 0 , , 53 , , 37 , , 39 , , 94.9% , , 90 , , 63.1 , , 46 , , 142 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 15 , , 13 , , 20 , , 65.0% , , 0 , , 50 , , 43 , , 48 , , 89.6% , , 81 , , 62.9 , , 50 , , 82 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 16 , , 29 , , 31 , , 93.5% , , 0 , , 51 , , 28 , , 28 , , 100.0% , , 72 , , 63.2 , , 31 , , 115 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 13 , , 19 , , 20 , , 95.0% , , 0 , , 59 , , 34 , , 38 , , 89.5% , , 73 , , 63.3 , , 44 , , 91 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 17 , , 36 , , 40 , , 90.0% , , 0 , , 56 , , 27 , , 29 , , 93.1% , , 86 , , 63.5 , , 40 , , 135 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 12 , , 20 , , 28 , , 71.4% , , 0 , , 59 , , 18 , , 18 , , 100.0% , , 50 , , 61.5 , , 21 , , 78 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan="2", Career , , 116 , , 202 , , 234 , , 86.3% , , 0 , , 59 , , 249 , , 263 , , 94.7% , , 606 , , 62.9 , , 307 , , 855

Postseason

, - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 2 , , 7 , , 7 , , 100.0% , , 0 , , 47 , , 1 , , 1 , , 100.0% , , 11 , , 62.2 , , 8 , , 22 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 3 , , 8 , , 8 , , 100.0% , , 0 , , 45 , , 3 , , 5 , , 60.0% , , 17 , , 59.2 , , 6 , , 27 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0.0% , , 0 , , - , , 6 , , 6 , , 100.0% , , 7 , , 52.4 , , 3 , , 6 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , , 100.0% , , 0 , , 49 , , 2 , , 2 , , 100.0% , , 6 , , 54.2 , , 3 , , 5 , - ! style="text-align:center;",

! style="text-align:center;", PIT , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0.0% , , 0 , , - , , 3 , , 3 , , 100.0% , , 4 , , 51.0 , , 1 , , 3 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan="2", Career , , 8 , , 15 , , 17 , , 88.2% , , 0 , , 49 , , 16 , , 16 , , 100.0% , , 45 , , 63.0 , , 20 , , 63

References

External links

Pittsburgh Steelers bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, Chris 1991 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas Rice Owls football players Houston Texans players New York Giants players Pittsburgh Steelers players American football placekickers American Conference Pro Bowl players