Donald G. Silvestri (born December 25, 1968) is a former American football

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 various professional football teams and leagues including 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 ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by 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 ...

, of the NFL, as an undrafted free agent in 1993. 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 University of Pittsburgh. He is the president of Debt.com and a founding member of the charity organization Parkland Cares.

Early years

Silvestri was a two-year football letterman at the University of Pittsburgh from 1990 to 1991. Silvestri attended Pennridge High School in

Perkasie, Pennsylvania Perkasie is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Perkasie is southeast of Allentown and north of Philadelphia. Establishments in the borough early in the twentieth century included silk mills, brickyards, lumber mills, tile works, a stone c ...

Professional career

Silvestri has been a member of the

(1993),

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. ...

(1994),

(1995–1997), London Monarchs (1995, 1997, 1998),

Albany Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League. The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana ...

(1998–1999),

Florida Bobcats The Florida Bobcats were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Sunrise, Florida. They were previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters, and played in the AFL for a total of ten seasons, the last seven in West Palm Beach ...

(2000) and the Canadian Football League's American expansion team Baltimore Stallions (1993).

NFL Europe

On May 7, 1995, Silvestri created history with the London Monarchs after kicking professional football's first four-point field goal, awarded for successful attempts from 50 yards or more in the

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 ...

sanctioned World League of American Football (WLAF).

National Football League

Silvestri established himself as one of the NFL's leading kickoff specialists in 1995. He led the AFC and finished 2nd in the NFL to Morten Anderson with 14 touchbacks. He had 8 games with at least 1 touchback and had 5 games with 2 or more.

Arena Football League

Silvestri is the only Arena Football League player in history to finish a season with a perfect extra point percentage with the Florida Bobcats in 2000. Silvestri was a key member of the Arena League champion

in 1999.

Personal life

Silvestri lives in South Florida and is active in his local community. He is currently a member of the National Football League Alumni Association and the South Florida Pitt Club, an Alumni club of the University of Pittsburgh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvestri, Don 1968 births Living people American football placekickers London Monarchs players Florida Bobcats players Players of American football from Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football players Albany Firebirds players New York Jets players People from Broward County, Florida American expatriate sportspeople in England