Samuel Paulescu ( ro, Păulescu; born April 18, 1984) 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 wi ...
punter in 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 ...
for 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 headquar ...
,
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 divi ...
,
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) South division. The cl ...
and
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. He also was a member of the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
in the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
. He played
college football at
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
.
Early years
Born in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to Romanian immigrant parents Nick and Persida Paulescu, he was fluent in Romanian before he could speak English. Paulescu played basketball, soccer, track and football at
Whittier Christian High School
Whittier Christian High School is a non-profit, non-denominational, Christian high school located in La Habra, California. It was founded in 1958. The high school has a gymnasium named the Leon Davis Event Center, after the school worker Leon Dav ...
in
La Habra, California
La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north o ...
.
He earned four letters in football and soccer, and two in track and field. In addition to kicking, Paulescu also played wide receiver, running back and defensive back. As a junior, he scored three touchdowns, intercepted two passes and kicked a prep career-best 43-yard field goal in one game. He also scored 17 goals for the soccer team.
As a senior, he was named team defensive MVP and first-team All-Olympic League as a kicker. Paulescu played in the 605 All-Star game in the summer of 2002.
College career
Paulescu accepted a football scholarship from
Fullerton College
Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest communi ...
under head coach
Gene Murphy in 2003. As a freshman in 2002, he averaged 36.7 yards on 53 punts. His
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
coach was Jim Wren, who was
USC's punter in 1996 when
Mike Riley was the offensive coordinator.
As a sophomore, Paulescu was the fifth-leading scorer among California Junior College players as a kicker. He scored 73 points in 10 games (37-37 PAT, 12-17 FGs) booted a 57-yard field goal against
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College (SMC) is a public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Although initially serving primarily pre-college high sc ...
, and was perfect on all three attempts over 41 yards. He made a 25-yarder in overtime to give Fullerton a 24-21 win over
Riverside City College
Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System.
History
RCC first opened in 1916 at ...
on November 15. He averaged 45.6 yards on 46 attempts during the regular season, with a long of 84 yards, raising his average to 46.5 yards after three playoff games as a punter. He also bettered his all-time long punt with an 86-yarder against
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College (SMC) is a public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Although initially serving primarily pre-college high sc ...
in the U.S. Bank Beach Bowl on November 22.
He was selected first team All-American by J.C. Grid-Wire and by J.C. Athletic Bureau, earned first-team All-Mission Conference; first-team All-California J.C. Region IV, and first-team All-California as selected by the California Community College Football Coaches Association.
Paulescu transferred to
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...
, where as a junior he received honorable-mention
All-Pac-10 and OSU Special Teams Co-MVP honors. He began his senior year on the
Ray Guy Award
The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National F ...
watch list and averaged 43 yards per punt, ending his OSU career with 48 punts downed inside the 20-yard line – 24 each season. He was the
Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week in 2005, after having six punts downed inside the 20-yard line, including two at the 1-yard line, in a win at No. 18 California. He made 21 punts of 50-plus yards during his career, including a career-best of 69 yards against
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
in 2004.
As a senior, he posted 56 punts for a 43-yard average and was named to the
Pac-10 All-Conference first-team, marking the first punter in OSU history to earn such a distinction. He finished his college career as arguably the top punter in the program's history.
Professional career
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
On June 21, 2006, he signed a contract with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
, to join the team's developmental squad. He was released on July 23.
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
On May 1, 2007, he was signed as a
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 ...
by 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 divi ...
. He was released on August 3. He was re-signed on August 14. He was waived before the start of the season, after not beating out
Mat McBriar
Mat McBriar (born 8 July 1979) is an Australian former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers. He played college football fo ...
for the
starting punting job.
Denver Broncos
On December 28, 2007 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 headquar ...
signed him after releasing
Paul Ernster
Paul T. Ernster (born January 26, 1982) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football in Northern Arizona.
Ernster has also been a member of th ...
. Paulescu made his debut in week 17 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 expansi ...
, making five
punts for a total of 221 yards. He was released on August 30, 2008.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On October 14, 2008, he was signed by 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 divi ...
as a replacement for McBriar, who suffered a broken foot against the
Arizona Cardinals and was placed on the
injured reserve list
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. During a home game against 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) South division. The cl ...
, he delivered a hard tackle on returner,
Clifton Smith, at midfield. He was not re-signed after the season.
Washington Redskins (first stint)
Paulescu signed with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on November 6, 2009. After punting in one game on November 8 against the
Atlanta Falcons (3 punts, averaging 50 yards per punt). He was waived on November 14.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On December 1, 2009, he was signed by 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) South division. The cl ...
due to the injury of
Dirk Johnson
Dirk Johnson (born June 1, 1975) is a former American football punter. He is most notable for his four season tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. After playing college football at Northern Colorado, Johnson signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a ...
. He was waived on April 26, 2010.
Washington Redskins (second stint)
On December 14, 2010, he was signed by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
to replace
Hunter Smith
Hunter Dwight Smith (born August 9, 1977) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.
Smith earned a Super Bowl ring ...
, who was cut after letting the snap on a critical extra point attempt go through his hands in a 16-17 loss against 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) South division. The cl ...
. He was released on July 28, 2011.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 22, 2011, Paulescu signed with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He was waived on August 30.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paulescu, Sam
1984 births
Living people
Players of American football from Los Angeles
Canadian football punters
American players of Canadian football
American football punters
Fullerton Hornets football players
Oregon State Beavers football players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
Dallas Cowboys players
Denver Broncos players
Washington Redskins players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
San Francisco 49ers players
American people of Romanian descent
Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles