Matthew McCrane (born September 8, 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 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
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
. 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
Kansas State University
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
. 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 2018. He has also played for 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
New York Guardians
The Orlando Guardians are a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL. The Guardians played their home games at MetLi ...
, and
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 ( ...
.
Early years
McCrane 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
Brownwood High School
Brownwood High School is a public high school located in Brownwood, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownwood Independent School District located in central Brown County, and is classified as a 4A school by the UIL. In 2015, the school ...
. While playing for the Lions, McCrane converted on 41 of 44 extra points and 7 of 12 field goals, including the longest in school history at 52 yards.
College career
McCrane attended and played college football at Kansas State for head coach
Bill Snyder
William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the p ...
. From 2014 to 2017, he converted 133-of-134 extra point attempts and 57-of-66 field goal attempts. McCrane ranks #2 in Big XII history and #7 in NCAA history for Career Field Goal Percentage. (86.4%)
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
After going undrafted in the
2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
, McCrane signed with
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 ...
. He was released on September 1, 2018.
Oakland Raiders
McCrane was signed by 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 ...
on September 25, 2018. On September 30, 2018, 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 ( ...
, McCrane converted three of five field goal attempts and four extra points. He converted the game winning field goal for the Oakland Raiders in his NFL debut. McCrane was waived by the Raiders on October 23, 2018, after the team signed
Daniel Carlson.
Arizona Cardinals (second stint)
McCrane was re-signed by the Cardinals to their practice squad on October 26, 2018. McCrane was released by the Cardinals on October 30, 2018. He was re-signed to the active roster on November 17, 2018, following an injury to
Phil Dawson
Philip Drury Dawson (born January 23, 1975) is a former American football placekicker. He played for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2012 and holds their franchise record for most field goals made, passing Hall of Famer Lou Groza in 2010. He pl ...
. McCrane handled the kicking duties in the Cardinals' 23–21 loss to the Raiders, making all three of his extra point attempts, and was waived the following day on November 19, 2018.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On December 28, 2018, 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 ...
signed McCrane after placekicker
Chris Boswell
Christopher Lynn Boswell (born March 16, 1991) is an American football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014 as an undrafted ...
was placed on injured reserve. McCrane made all three field goal attempts and his sole extra point attempt in the Steelers final regular season game on December 30, 2018, in a 16–13 win 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 ...
. McCrane was released by the Steelers on May 9, 2019.
New York Guardians
McCrane was drafted by the
New York Guardians
The Orlando Guardians are a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL. The Guardians played their home games at MetLi ...
in the
2020 XFL Supplemental Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...
on November 22, 2019. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Cleveland Browns
McCrane was signed to 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 ( ...
' practice squad on September 22, 2020. McCrane was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Browns on January 18, 2021. He was waived on May 11, 2021.
Arizona Cardinals (third stint)
On September 16, 2021, McCrane was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. The Cardinals released him on September 21, 2021.
Philadelphia Eagles
On December 25, 2021, McCrane was signed to 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 ...
practice squad. He spent time on and off the practice squad before being released on January 10, 2022.
DC Defenders
McCrane signed with the
DC Defenders
The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...
on January 17, 2023.
References
External links
Kansas State Wildcats bioOakland Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrane, Matt
1994 births
Living people
People from Brownwood, Texas
Players of American football from Texas
American football placekickers
Kansas State Wildcats football players
Arizona Cardinals players
Oakland Raiders players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
New York Guardians players
Cleveland Browns players
Philadelphia Eagles players
DC Defenders players