Kyle Brindza (born January 13, 1993) 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 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 Notre Dame. He signed 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 ...

with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 2015 and was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he played for one season.

Early life

Brindza was born with a club right foot, forcing him to undergo surgeries throughout his childhood. Despite his birth defect, he was a soccer goalie as a child, for which he wore a plastic brace. At Plymouth High School in

Canton, Michigan Canton, officially the Charter Township of Canton, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659. Canton Township is Michigan's second most-populated townshi ...

, he started playing football, along with competing on the track and field team in discus and

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

College career

Brindza began attending Notre Dame in 2011 and was limited to being their kickoff specialist as a freshman. Throughout the season he kicked off 71 times for an average of 65.3 yards and 12 touchbacks while playing in 13 contests. He would return to the same role for the Fighting Irish in 2012. On September 8, 2012, Notre Dame placekicker, Nick Tausch, would suffer an injury during a game against

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. Brindza would come in to replace Tausch but would miss his first career attempt. After missing his first field goal, Brindza then redeemed himself connecting on a 30-yard field goal and a 27-yard field goal with 7 seconds left. The 27-yard field goal sealed the 20–17 victory over the

Purdue Boilermakers The Purdue Boilermakers are the official intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname is also used as colloquial designation ...

Professional career

Detroit Lions

After going undrafted in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

, Brindza signed with the Detroit Lions on May 9, 2015.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brindza was traded to 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 ...

for tight end Tim Wright on August 31, 2015. He was officially named to the Bucs' roster after the final roster cut to 53 players. Brindza made the team over veterans

Connor Barth Connor Thomas Barth (born April 11, 1986) is a former American football placekicker who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undraft ...

and Patrick Murray. On September 27, 2015, in a Week 3 contest against 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 ...

, Brindza missed 3 field goal attempts and an extra point in a 19–9 loss. However, he made a career long 58-yard field goal in the same game. The next week he would miss 2 field goal attempts and another extra point in a crucial 37–23 loss against the

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 ...

. On October 5, 2015, the Buccaneers announced that they had decided to officially release Brindza after only making 6/12 field goal attempts and 6/9 PATs in his first four career games.

New York Jets

On February 5, 2016, Brindza signed a futures contract with the New York Jets. However, a week after signing with the Jets, he tore his right Achilles tendon during a routine workout. On February 18, 2016, Brindza was cut by the team.

References

External links

Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioNotre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brindza, Kyle 1993 births Living people Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New York Jets players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players American football placekickers Players of American football from Indiana