Jeff Wolfert
Encyclopedia
Jeff Wolfert is an American football
kicker
who is currently a free agent
. He made his professional debut with the Omaha Nighthawks
of the United Football League. In three years as the Missouri Tigers
' place-kicker, Wolfert was a perfect 185-for-185 on extra point attempts and set the school's single-season and career scoring records.
He also played soccer and was on the swim team, and was a standout prep diver, finishing in the finals of the state championships multiple years and gaining other various accolades.
walk-on in 2006 and made the team. He was Missouri's starting place-kicker from 2006 to 2008.
In 2006, Wolfert won a spot on the team as a walk-on and proceeded to convert all 45 extra point attempts and go 18-of-20 on field goal attempts. In his first year as starter, Wolfert set University of Missouri single-season records for field goals (18), points by a kicker (99), consecutive PATs (45) and field-goal percentage (90%). In April 2007, Wolfert was rewarded for his 2006 performance with a full football scholarship.
In 2007, he set the all-time Missouri Tigers football
single-season scoring record with 130 points on 21 field goals (21-of-25) and 67 extra points (67-of-67). In his first two years at Missouri, Wolfert compiled a perfect 112-for-112 record in extra point attempts. In 2007, Wolfert also helped lead his team to the Big 12 North championship, a #1 ranking in the BCS poll at the end of November 2007, and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
In 2008, Wolfert completed his collegiate careers by scoring with 133 points, going 73-for-73 on extra point attempts and 20-of-27 on field goals.
In three years as the Tigers' place-kicker, he never missed an extra-point attempt (185-for-185) and broke the school's all-time scoring record. At the conclusion of his college career, Wolfert told an interviewer that his records were a tribute to his team:
He was selected by Sports Illustrated in 2007 as an Honorable Mention player. He was also selected in 2007 as a first-team All-Big 12
player by the Associated Press
, Dallas Morning News, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, and Waco Tribune-Herald
. In three years as the Tigers' kicker, Wolfert never missed an extra point. At the end of the 2007 season, USA Today
also published a feature story on Wolfert, noting that his "extremely accurate right leg" had provided Missouri with the margin of victory in key games. When asked by the USA Today about his streak of 87 consecutive extra points without a miss, Wolfert said:
, but was not signed. He has also has had tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons. In 2010, he worked out with the New York Jets.
Wolfert has been frustrated with not getting a chance in the NFL, and has still been actively pursuing a job. Seth Wickersham of ESPN attributes Wolfert's unemployment to a recent trend in the NFL where teams value kicking strength over accuracy. Wolfert has also mentioned that in each of his tryouts, the kicker liked the most was the one who could kick the highest and farthest, and coaches didn't seem to care about accuracy. Saying of his quest for an NFL job, "They just keep saying, ‘Keep knocking on the door. Your opportunity will come. Don’t be discouraged.' That’s kind of how it is. If you’re willing to put forth the effort and the right offer comes in, hopefully you can make the best of it."
in 2010. He finished the 2010 season as the UFL's most accurate kicker, converting 9 of 10 field goals (90% accuracy rate). He was also named to the 2010 All-www.ufl-football.com Team.
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...
kicker
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 is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He made his professional debut with the Omaha Nighthawks
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD...
of the United Football League. In three years as the Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
' place-kicker, Wolfert was a perfect 185-for-185 on extra point attempts and set the school's single-season and career scoring records.
Early years
Before enrolling in college, Wolfert's career as a kicker nearly came to an end as the result of injury. As an underclassmen at Blue Valley West High School in Kansas, Wolfert excelled in soccer and diving. As a senior, he won a spot on the football team as a kicker. In his first and only high school football game, Wolfert ended up breaking his hip trying to drive the football into the endzone on a kick-off.He also played soccer and was on the swim team, and was a standout prep diver, finishing in the finals of the state championships multiple years and gaining other various accolades.
College career
After graduating from high school, Wolfert enrolled at University of Missouri on a diving scholarship. He became an all-conference diver as a freshman, but was determined to play football again. He tried out for the team as a sophomoreSophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
walk-on in 2006 and made the team. He was Missouri's starting place-kicker from 2006 to 2008.
In 2006, Wolfert won a spot on the team as a walk-on and proceeded to convert all 45 extra point attempts and go 18-of-20 on field goal attempts. In his first year as starter, Wolfert set University of Missouri single-season records for field goals (18), points by a kicker (99), consecutive PATs (45) and field-goal percentage (90%). In April 2007, Wolfert was rewarded for his 2006 performance with a full football scholarship.
In 2007, he set the all-time Missouri Tigers football
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
single-season scoring record with 130 points on 21 field goals (21-of-25) and 67 extra points (67-of-67). In his first two years at Missouri, Wolfert compiled a perfect 112-for-112 record in extra point attempts. In 2007, Wolfert also helped lead his team to the Big 12 North championship, a #1 ranking in the BCS poll at the end of November 2007, and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
In 2008, Wolfert completed his collegiate careers by scoring with 133 points, going 73-for-73 on extra point attempts and 20-of-27 on field goals.
In three years as the Tigers' place-kicker, he never missed an extra-point attempt (185-for-185) and broke the school's all-time scoring record. At the conclusion of his college career, Wolfert told an interviewer that his records were a tribute to his team:
"I think it's a testament to our offense. We're really powerful and always in the red zone, so when they've been short of touchdowns, I've been able to knock down three points. A lot of touchdowns, too, and extra points with them."
He was selected by Sports Illustrated in 2007 as an Honorable Mention player. He was also selected in 2007 as a first-team All-Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
player by 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...
, Dallas Morning News, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, and Waco Tribune-Herald
Waco Tribune-Herald
The Waco Tribune-Herald is an American daily newspaper serving Waco, Texas and vicinity.The newspaper has its roots in five different predecessors, beginning with the Waco Evening Telephone in 1892. The Tribune-Herald took its current identity when E.S...
. In three years as the Tigers' kicker, Wolfert never missed an extra point. At the end of the 2007 season, 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...
also published a feature story on Wolfert, noting that his "extremely accurate right leg" had provided Missouri with the margin of victory in key games. When asked by the USA Today about his streak of 87 consecutive extra points without a miss, Wolfert said:
""It's in the back of my head, but I try not to think about it too much because I don't want to jinx it. I'm just thinking about the snap and the hold, and really just keeping my head down, because I know if I keep my head down good things are going to happen."
College Awards
- Lou Groza Award Semifinalist (2006)
- Hon. Men. All-Big 12 (Associated Press, Coaches) (2006)
- Team Walk-On Player of the Year (2006)
- 1st-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2006)
- Hon. Men. All-American (Sports Illustrated) (2007)
- 1st-Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Waco Tribune-Herald) (2007)
- 2nd-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches) (2007)
- Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 26) (2007)
- 1st-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2007)
- Lou Groza Award Semifinalist (2008)
- 1st Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press, Coaches) (2008)
- Holds several Missouri school records- including single-season and career scoring records
Professional career
Wolfert had a minicamp tryout with the Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but was not signed. He has also has had tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons. In 2010, he worked out with the New York Jets.
Wolfert has been frustrated with not getting a chance in the NFL, and has still been actively pursuing a job. Seth Wickersham of ESPN attributes Wolfert's unemployment to a recent trend in the NFL where teams value kicking strength over accuracy. Wolfert has also mentioned that in each of his tryouts, the kicker liked the most was the one who could kick the highest and farthest, and coaches didn't seem to care about accuracy. Saying of his quest for an NFL job, "They just keep saying, ‘Keep knocking on the door. Your opportunity will come. Don’t be discouraged.' That’s kind of how it is. If you’re willing to put forth the effort and the right offer comes in, hopefully you can make the best of it."
Omaha Nighthawks
Wolfert was a placekicker with the United Football League's Omaha NighthawksOmaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD...
in 2010. He finished the 2010 season as the UFL's most accurate kicker, converting 9 of 10 field goals (90% accuracy rate). He was also named to the 2010 All-www.ufl-football.com Team.