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Jeff Wilkins

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For the American basketball player, see Jeff Wilkins (basketball).

Jeff Wilkins
No. 14
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1972-04-19) April 19, 1972 (age 52)
Youngstown, Ohio
Career information
High school:Austintown (OH) Fitch
College:Youngstown State
Undrafted:1994
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goal attempts:375
Field goals made:307
Completion %:81.9
Points scored:1,416
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jeffrey Allen Wilkins (born April 19, 1972), nicknamed "Money",[1] is a former American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). With the Rams, he won Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He played college football for Youngstown State University. Wilkins is currently tied for second place all time in most consecutive PATs without a miss at 371.

Early life

He played for Austintown Fitch High School in the Austintown, Ohio suburb of Youngstown.

College career

At Youngstown State University, Wilkins made a school record 66 field goals, with a long of 54 (a school record).[2] While at Youngstown State, the Penguins won the 1991 and 1993 Division I-AA National Championships under future Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Wilkins was inducted in the YSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[2]

Professional career

Wilkins signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, but played in just six games and did not attempt a single field goal or extra point. The following season, he joined the 49ers. While he only played in seven games, he had a superb season, kicking 12 of 13 field goals. In 1996, he finally saw duty as his team's full-time kicker and did not disappoint, kicking 30 of 34 field goals and all 40 extra point attempts.

In 1997, he joined the Rams, where he played the remainder of his career and became the team's all-time leading scorer. Wilkins assisted his team to a championship win in Super Bowl XXXIV, kicking three of four field goals and two extra points in the Rams 23–16 win over the Tennessee Titans. He also kicked a 50-yard field goal in the Rams 20–17 loss in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Wilkins was the last player to kick barefoot in the NFL, doing so for the first seven games of the 2002 season.

In 2003, Wilkins kicked an NFL record-tying 39 field goals (then shared with former Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears kicker Olindo Mare), which stood until surpassed by Neil Rackers' 40 field goals in 2005.

In St. Louis' opening game of the 2006 season, Wilkins set a franchise record by kicking six field goals in their 18–10 win over the Denver Broncos. He also became the first Rams player ever to score over 1,000 points.

On November 11, 2007, Wilkins kicked his 300th career field goal against the New Orleans Saints. Wilkins announced his retirement from the NFL on February 29, 2008.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Linehan's offense does little, but kicker, defense dump Denver". September 10, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Jeff Wilkins | YSU Athletics Hall of Fame". Youngstown State University. Retrieved September 5, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "Wilkins retires as Rams' career scoring leader". ESPN. March 1, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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