Nate Kaeding
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel James Kaeding is an American football
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...

 who plays for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 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 drafted by the Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...

 in the 3rd round with a pick acquired from the Phillip Rivers-Eli Manning trade. He played college football at Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

. As of the completion of the 2010 season, Kaeding was the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history at 86.5%.

College

The Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...

 native 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 the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

, where he won the Lou Groza Award
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza.-Winners:...

 in 2002
2002 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2002 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2002 college football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa and were coached by Kirk Ferentz....

 and is the all time leading scorer. In high school, he played in state championship games in three different sports: (basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 and soccer) at Iowa City West High School
Iowa City West High School
Iowa City West High School is a public high school in Iowa City, Iowa. It is currently home to over 1900 students, in grades 9 through 12, and nearly 200 teachers, administration, and support staff...

.

Professional

In January 2005
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...

, Kaeding became only the second rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...

 in NFL history to attempt a potential game-winning field goal
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 the playoffs in the 4th quarter or overtime. His 40-yard field goal attempt missed, and the Chargers lost in the wild card round to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, who won the game on a Doug Brien
Doug Brien
Douglas Robert Zachariah Brien is a former American football placekicker. He played twelve seasons for seven teams in the National Football League:...

 field goal.

In the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....

, Kaeding kicked a game winning 21-yard field goal with four seconds left.

Kaeding's postseason struggles continued in the 2006 NFL Playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2006-07
The National Football League playoffs for the 2006 season began on January 6, 2007 and led up to Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.-AFC: Indianapolis Colts 23, Kansas City Chiefs 8:...

, when he missed a potential game tying 54-yard field goal attempt against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

. He had not missed a field goal at home in the previous two years prior to that 54-yard attempt.

Kaeding suffered a fractured fibula when he made a tackle on the opening kickoff against the Denver Broncos on December 24, 2007 and played the final 5 games of the season with the fractured fibula.

In the 2007 playoffs, Kaeding missed a field goal each in the Wild Card weekend game against Tennessee (which San Diego won) and against the Indianapolis Colts (which San Diego also won). Nate's streak of consecutive playoff games with a missed field goal stood at 4 but was ended with a made field goal from 40 yards against New England.

In the 2009 NFL season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...

, Kaeding connected on 91.4% (32/35) of his field goals, a percentage that led the NFL. His season long of 54 yards came in a Week 15 victory over Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

. However, in the AFC Divisional Round against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Kaeding's postseason struggles continued as he missed all 3 of his attempted field goals, from 37, 57, and 40 yards. The Jets won the game 17-14. In the postseason, Kaeding is 3-for-9 on field goal attempts at home.

Kaeding ended the 2010 season as the NFL’s most accurate kicker of all-time, converting 86.5% of his field goals attempts. In the 2011 NFL season
2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...

, Kaeding was injured on the first play of the season when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, causing him to miss the duration of the season and necessitated the signing of 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...

.

Personal life

In January 2008, Kaeding began writing weekly movie reviews for CorridorBUZZ, a daily arts & entertainment web site serving the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, Iowa corridor.
He owns a restaurant in Iowa City called Short's Burgers

Nate and his wife, Samantha, have two sons, Jack and Wyatt.

External links

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