(born
September 3 ,
1984 in
Lubbock, Texas ), is an
American professional football
Placekicker for the
Green Bay Packers . He was widely considered the best kicker in college football, as evidenced by his number one spot on
ESPN 's
Mel Kiper Jr. 's Top 5 Seniors by position. He was a unanimous selection as a First Team
All American by the
Associated Press ,
FWAA ,
The Sporting News , and
Walter Camp for the
2005 NCAA Division I-A Football Season . He was the runner-up for
Lou Groza Award , despite being heavily favored to win
1.
Mason Crosby is known for extraordinary leg strength, making a school record 60-yard
Field Goal against
Iowa State in
2004 . Although some take Crosby's records with a grain of salt because he kicks at
High Altitude , he holds the
NCAA record for the longest field goal without a tee at sea level, 58-yards against
Miami in
2005 (
Elevation 7
Feet ). Crosby also displays excellent accuracy with his kicks, connecting on 58-76 in his career, and making 30-34 inside 40-yards. Unconfirmed reports from teammates and coaches put Crosby at having made an 80 yard field goal during a practice in 2006. He also would entertain fans by attempting 65 yard kicks and 70 yard kicks in warm ups (many of which he made).
2
Crosby has developed a reputation for kicking in the
Clutch , making 12-13 field goals in the fourth quarter, and a perfect 10-10 in the final 8 1/2 minutes of games (through the 2005 season). This bent has been most evident when Crosby plays rival
Colorado State University , against whom Crosby made kicks of 55 (2004), 48, and 47 yards (2005) in consecutive years to win the
Rocky Mountain Showdown .
He is the first player in
Big 12 Conference history to be named player of the week eight times.
3 As of 2006, he is also Colorado's all-time leading scorer, with 275 points. The previous record holder was
Eric Bieniemy (1987-1990) with 254. On
November 11 ,
2006 , Crosby passed the 300 point mark for his career.
Crosby also served as the
Buffs '
Kickoff specialist, where his knack for forcing
Touchback s after
Touchdown s made him a fan favorite. Overall, 127 of Crosby's 184 career kickoffs were touchbacks, including an 87-yard kickoff touchback from the 20-yard-line against Iowa State in 2004.
4 Crosby routinely kicked the ball through the
Uprights on kickoffs, a practice that invariably drew cheers from the home crowd.
Crosby was chosen by the
Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the
2007 NFL Draft , the last of three consecutive picks for the Packers (and the third and final kicker overall). During the Packers' first pre-season game, against
Pittsburgh , Crosby kicked a 52-yard field goal, the longest field goal in the history of
Heinz Field , which is known to be unfriendly to kickers. Crosby beat out incumbent Dave Rayner, and will be the regular season kicker for Green Bay in 2007.
''Note'': Average Starting Yardline: Onsides, short squibs and free kicks are omitted in figuring the above - out-of-bounds are not.
- 2006
- ---Walter Camp All-American
- ---All-Big 12 Conference
- 2005
- ---Walter Camp All-American
- --- Lou Groza Award runner-up
Mason Crosby graduated in December 2006 from the University of Colorado, majoring in
Communication . He attended
Georgetown High School in
Texas . He is a
Houston Astros and
Dallas Cowboys fan.
