Spencer Davis Lanning (born May 21, 1988) 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 ...

punter who played three years 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 ...

(NFL), almost exclusively with 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 ( ...

. He was signed by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

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 2011. 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 ...

for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

College career

Lanning finished his collegiate career with the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

with 171 punts for a 42.6-yard average and 46 punts inside the 20-yard line. He also played kicker during his final two collegiate seasons, connecting on 34 of 44 field goal attempts and 80 of 84 extra points.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Lanning was originally signed by the

as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Lanning was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

as a free agent on January 4, 2012, and later released by the team on April 28.

New York Jets

Lanning was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

on August 28, 2012. He was waived by the Jets on August 31, 2012.

Sacramento Mountain Lions

In 2012, he signed with the

Sacramento Mountain Lions The Sacramento Mountain Lions was a professional 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 rect ...

of the United Football League.

Cleveland Browns

Lanning was signed by the

on May 2, 2012. Lanning was re-signed as a free agent by the Browns February 13, 2013. On September 22, 2013, in a 31–27 win over 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 expansion ...

, Lanning recorded a touchdown pass, punt, and an extra point. He became the first player to accomplish such a feat since Sam Baker in 1968. Lanning garnered media attention following a game against 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 ...

on September 7, 2014. When Lanning attempted to tackle Steelers punt returner

Antonio Brown Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college fo ...

, Brown "attempted" to hurdle the punter and kicked Lanning in the face. Brown was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play and received an $8,200 fine. Lanning was released on June 6, 2015, when the Browns traded for longtime

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 ...

punter Andy Lee.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lanning was claimed off waivers 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) NFC South, South divisio ...

on June 9, 2015. He was later released by the team on August 13, 2015.

Denver Broncos

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 headquart ...

claimed Lanning off waivers on August 14, 2015. He was released by the team on August 31, 2015.

Chicago Bears (second stint)

The

signed Lanning on October 3, 2015, to punt for Week 4 in place of the injured

Pat O'Donnell Patrick Michael O'Donnell (born February 22, 1991) is an American football punter for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he served as ...

. He was released by the team on October 6. In his lone game with the Bears, Lanning punted three times for 156 yards with a net average of 35.7.

Personal life

On November 11, 2014, Lanning became engaged to Brittany Jasenski.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bio

Cleveland Browns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanning, Spencer 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Rock Hill, South Carolina American football punters South Carolina Gamecocks football players Chicago Bears players Jacksonville Jaguars players Cleveland Browns players New York Jets players Sacramento Mountain Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Denver Broncos players