Connor Barth
Encyclopedia
Connor Thomas Barth is an American football
placekicker
for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football
at North Carolina
.
Barth has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
.
team.
by USA Today
. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
, where he was named the top kicker in the combine. He was selected to the inaugural EA Sports
High School All-America Team. Out of high school, Barth was considered one of the best kickers in the country by most recruiting services. He set the North Carolina state record for field goals
in a season and career with 38. The Charlotte Observer ranked him among the top 25 overall players in North Carolina. In 2002, he had a string of 40 consecutive extra point
s. Playing as a punter and a kicker, Barth made 11 of 14 field goals that year. He also was 53 of 54 on extra point attempts as a Junior. He kicked 75 percent of his kickoffs
into the end zone
. As a punter, he punted 42 times for a 38.2-yard average.
, Barth was named second-team freshman All-America by Rivals.com. He was also an honorable-mention All-ACC
member. In 2004, he made 14 of 18 field goals and 35 of 37 extra point attempts. He is well known for a 42-yard game-winning field goal as time expired against No. 4 Miami
. He made his first career field goal on a 22-yard attempt at Virginia
As a sophomore, Barth made 11 of 21 field goals. He struggled throughout the season, but connected on eight of his last 10.
In 2006, as a junior, Barth made all 10 field goal attempts and 24 of 26 extra points. He was the only kicker in the country with a perfect 100% field goal percentage. In a game against North Carolina State
, Barth made a 54-yarder that was his career best and tied for the second-longest in school history.
In 2007, as a senior, he made 19 of 22 field goals and 30 of his final 33 attempts, dating back to his sophomore season. He earned first-team All-ACC honors from Rivals.com and honorable mention all-conference honors from the Associated Press
. Against Miami, Barth kicked a career-high four field goals in the 33-27 win and was named the ACC special teams player of the week. He graduated UNC with a Communications major.
He holds the UNC
record for most made field goals (54).
in 2008. He failed to beat out Nick Novak
for the team's placekicking job and was waived by the Chiefs on August 29.
Barth was re-signed by the team on October 21 after Novak was released, becoming the seventh kicker on the Chiefs roster in two years. In his first NFL game, Barth went 1-for-1 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra points. He remained perfect up until a week 15 game (going in he was 9 for 9) where he missed 2 field goal attempts, including what would have been a game winning 50 yarder as time expired.
Barth was waived by the Chiefs on July 28, 2009, in favor of Ryan Succop
on August 10, 2009 to compete with incumbent placekicker
Dan Carpenter
. However, the Dolphins waived Barth on August 29.
. Barth tied an NFL record held by three other kickers when he made three field goals of 50 yards or more against the Miami Dolphins on November 15, 2009; the kicks were from 51, 50 and 54 yards. The record is shared with Morten Andersen
, Neil Rackers
, Kris Brown
, and Josh Scobee
.
On December 27, 2009 Barth kicked a 47 yard overtime field goal to give the Bucs the win over New Orleans, 20-17.
On October 10, 2010 Barth kicked a 31 yard field goal with :01 left in the game to give the Bucs a 24-21 lead over Cincinnati.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
.
Barth has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Personal
Barth is the son of Thomas and Susan Barth. He has a younger brother. Casey Barth, is currently the placekicker for the North Carolina Tar Heels footballNorth Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
team.
Early years
Barth was named to the first-team high school All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
, where he was named the top kicker in the combine. He was selected to the inaugural EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
High School All-America Team. Out of high school, Barth was considered one of the best kickers in the country by most recruiting services. He set the North Carolina state record for field goals
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
in a season and career with 38. The Charlotte Observer ranked him among the top 25 overall players in North Carolina. In 2002, he had a string of 40 consecutive extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
s. Playing as a punter and a kicker, Barth made 11 of 14 field goals that year. He also was 53 of 54 on extra point attempts as a Junior. He kicked 75 percent of his kickoffs
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
into the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
. As a punter, he punted 42 times for a 38.2-yard average.
College career
As a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Barth was named second-team freshman All-America by Rivals.com. He was also an honorable-mention All-ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
member. In 2004, he made 14 of 18 field goals and 35 of 37 extra point attempts. He is well known for a 42-yard game-winning field goal as time expired against No. 4 Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
. He made his first career field goal on a 22-yard attempt at Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
As a sophomore, Barth made 11 of 21 field goals. He struggled throughout the season, but connected on eight of his last 10.
In 2006, as a junior, Barth made all 10 field goal attempts and 24 of 26 extra points. He was the only kicker in the country with a perfect 100% field goal percentage. In a game against North Carolina State
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
, Barth made a 54-yarder that was his career best and tied for the second-longest in school history.
In 2007, as a senior, he made 19 of 22 field goals and 30 of his final 33 attempts, dating back to his sophomore season. He earned first-team All-ACC honors from Rivals.com and honorable mention all-conference honors from the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Against Miami, Barth kicked a career-high four field goals in the 33-27 win and was named the ACC special teams player of the week. He graduated UNC with a Communications major.
He holds the UNC
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
record for most made field goals (54).
Statistics
| Year | FGM-FGA | PCT | 0-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | +50 | LG | PAT |
| 2004 | 14-18 | .778 | 6-6 | 5-7 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 50 | 35-37 |
| 2005 | 11-21 | .524 | 6-7 | 1-4 | 4-8 | 0-2 | 45 | 23-23 |
| 2006 | 10-10 | 1.000 | 4-4 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 54 | 24-26 |
| 2007 | 19-22 | .864 | 5-5 | 6-6 | 7-8 | 1-3 | 51 | 21-23 |
| Totals | 54-71 | .761 | 21-22 | 15-20 | 15-21 | 4-9 | 54 | 103-109 |
Kansas City Chiefs
Barth was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in 2008. He failed to beat out Nick Novak
Nick Novak
Nicholas Ryan "Nick" Novak is an American football placekicker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
for the team's placekicking job and was waived by the Chiefs on August 29.
Barth was re-signed by the team on October 21 after Novak was released, becoming the seventh kicker on the Chiefs roster in two years. In his first NFL game, Barth went 1-for-1 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra points. He remained perfect up until a week 15 game (going in he was 9 for 9) where he missed 2 field goal attempts, including what would have been a game winning 50 yarder as time expired.
Barth was waived by the Chiefs on July 28, 2009, in favor of Ryan Succop
Ryan Succop
Ryan Barrow Succop is an American football placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He is the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant after being selected by the Chiefs with the final pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.-Early years:Succop attended...
Miami Dolphins
Barth was signed by the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 10, 2009 to compete with incumbent placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Dan Carpenter
Dan Carpenter
Daniel Roy Carpenter is an American football placekicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
. However, the Dolphins waived Barth on August 29.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Barth was signed by the Buccaneers on November 3, 2009 after the Bucs released Shane AndrusShane Andrus
Shane Andrus is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. Barth tied an NFL record held by three other kickers when he made three field goals of 50 yards or more against the Miami Dolphins on November 15, 2009; the kicks were from 51, 50 and 54 yards. The record is shared with Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...
, Neil Rackers
Neil Rackers
Neil William Rackers is an American football placekicker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
, Kris Brown
Kris Brown
Kristopher "Kris" Clayton Brown is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent.He was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first six years of his NFL career, he has converted 132 of 173 field goals and scored 573 points...
, and Josh Scobee
Josh Scobee
Joshua Taylor Scobee is an American football placekicker, who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League . He began his college football career as kicker for the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs, setting several school records...
.
On December 27, 2009 Barth kicked a 47 yard overtime field goal to give the Bucs the win over New Orleans, 20-17.
On October 10, 2010 Barth kicked a 31 yard field goal with :01 left in the game to give the Bucs a 24-21 lead over Cincinnati.