John Christian Kaiminoeauloamekaikeokekumupaa "Kaimi" Fairbairn (born January 29, 1994) 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 wi ...
placekicker for the
Houston Texans 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). Playing
college football at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, he was a consensus first-team
All-American as a senior, when he was also awarded the
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...
as the nation's top college kicker in 2015. After winning the kicking position as a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
, Fairbairn became the
Pac-12 Conference record holder for the most career points scored. Undrafted out of college, he signed with Houston as a free agent and was named their starting kicker the following year in 2017.
Early life
Fairbairn was born in
Kailua, Hawaii
Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'ol ...
, to John and Rochelle Fairbairn.
Since he was a kid, he has gone by the name Kaʻimi, forgoing John Christian. In
Hawaiian, his name means "seeker of wisdom".
[ "The meaning of your name is your life," Fairbairn said. "Hawaiians have a long ancestry. It's really meaningful for me to go by my Hawaiian name."]
As a youngster, he was a kicker in football, but preferred catching the football instead. He attended high school at Punahou School, where he was a two-sport star in football and soccer. Playing central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
in soccer, he was a two-time first-team all-state player, and the team won two state championships.[
Fairbairn did not initially play football at Punahou. He did not envision a future in the sport, and tried out for ]water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
instead. After almost drowning, he realized he was not a proficient swimmer and returned to football.[ As a sophomore, Fairbairn was named second-team all-state, and he earned first-team all-state as a junior and senior.][ He was teammates with DeForest Buckner. Fairbairn was ranked nationally as the No. 4 ]recruit __NOTOC__
Recruit can refer to:
Military
* Military recruitment
* Recruit training, in the military
* '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries
* Seaman recruit Books
*''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...
at kicker coming out of high school.
College career
Fairbairn won the kicking job at UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
as a true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
in 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
,[ and he became the first Bruin to score at least 100 points in each of his four seasons. His career got off to an inauspicious start when his first two ]extra point
The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...
s were blocked against Rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
. He became a dependable kicker from close range, but struggled from distance. In the Pac-12 Championship Game
The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champi ...
that year, he missed a 52-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining in a 27–24 loss to Stanford. With a wet field and a poor snap
Snap or SNAP may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Snap'', the original release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind''
*''Snap'' (TV series), a CITV programme
* ''The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carol ...
by Kevin McDermott, UCLA coach Jim Mora said: "We put airbairnin a tough situation there." In his junior year in 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, UCLA was trailing Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
30–28 when Fairbairn missed a 55-yard attempt as time expired. However, the Utes were penalized for running into the kicker, providing him a chance at a 50-yard field goal, which missed just wide right.
Entering the 2015 season, the senior Fairbairn was 11 for 22 on field-goal tries of 40 yards or more.[ On October 3 against ]Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, he made a 53-yard field goal, the first successful 50-plus yarder of his career after missing his first five. The kick cut the Sun Devils lead to 15–10 at the half, but the Bruins lost the game 38–23. In a 40–24 win over California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
on October 22, Fairbairn had a 55-yarder called off because UCLA was penalized for a false start
In sports, a false start is a disallowed start, usually due to a movement by a participant before (or in some cases after) being signaled or otherwise permitted by the rules to start. Depending on the sport and the event, a false start can result ...
. With seconds left in the first half, Mora was initially going to have the offense try a Hail Mary pass. However, Fairbairn was given another opportunity, which he converted for a UCLA record 60-yard field goal.[ It was the first 60-yard field goal in the ]Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
since 2012. On November 14, Fairbairn made four field goals against Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
to set the Pac-12 record for most career points, breaking former Bruins kicker John Lee John Lee may refer to:
Academia
* John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society
* John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal
* John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), English ...
's previous mark of 390 (1982–1985).
He finished the regular season having made 20 of 23 field goal attempts, including a perfect 16 of 16 from inside 40 yards and four from beyond 40.[ Fairbairn was awarded the ]Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...
, given annually to the nation's top college kicker. He was a near unanimous first-team All-American, earning first-team honors from all the official selectors except '' Sporting News'', who named him to their second-team. However, he was only named second-team All-Pac-12. In the Foster Farms Bowl, he missed a 46-yard field goal in a 37–29 loss to Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. His career ended with three straight misses, including previous failed attempts of 49 yards at Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and 47 at USC.
Professional career
After not being selected in the 2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
, Fairbairn signed with the Houston Texans. However, he spent all of 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 of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
on injured reserve with an injured quadriceps
The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...
. In 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 s ...
, he was named the Texans' starting kicker over Nick Novak
Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland.
Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
. Fairbairn had attempted all of the team's field goals during the preseason, and he had a stronger leg and deeper kickoffs than the incumbent. In Week 4, 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 hom ...
, he converted six-of-seven extra points and all three field goal attempts. As a rookie, he converted 32 of 35 extra point attempts and 20 of 25 field goal attempts.
In Week 15 of the 2018 season, Fairbairn kicked five field goals and two extra points in a 29–22 win over the New York Jets, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December. On the season, Fairbairn did not miss a kick inside of 40 yards and led the league in points scored (150), field goals made (37)—which was also a franchise record—and field goals attempted (42). The Texans won the AFC South with a 11–5 record. In the Wild Card Round against the Indianapolis Colts, he converted one extra point in his playoff debut, a 21–7 loss.
On March 11, 2019, the Texans placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Fairbairn. He began the 2019 season slowly while adjusting to a new holder, punter Bryan Anger
Bryan Corey Anger (born October 6, 1988) is an American football Punter (football), punter for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He pla ...
, who replaced Trevor Daniel. Fairbairn made his last seven field goals to finish the season connecting on 20 of 25 field goals and 40 of 45 extra points. In the first round of the playoffs, he made a game-winning 28-yard field goal with 3:20 left in overtime for a 22–19 win over the Buffalo Bills.
On March 10, 2020, Fairbairn was signed to a four-year, $17.65 million contract by the Texans.
On September 8, 2021, Fairbairn was placed on injured reserve. He was activated on October 2, 2021. On December 12, 2021, Fairbairn made a career-long 61-yard field goal vs. the Seahawks, which also set a Texans' franchise record for longest field goal made.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
''Source'':
References
External links
*
Houston Texans bio
UCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn, Ka'imi
1994 births
Living people
People from Honolulu County, Hawaii
American football placekickers
Players of American football from Hawaii
Punahou School alumni
UCLA Bruins football players
All-American college football players
Houston Texans players
American people of Native Hawaiian descent