Olindo Mare
Encyclopedia
Olindo Franco Mare is an American football
placekicker
for the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football League
. He was originally signed by the New York Giants
as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football
at MacMurray College
and Syracuse.
Mare, who was selected to the Pro Bowl
in 1999
, has also played for the Miami Dolphins
, New Orleans Saints
& Seattle Seahawks
.
(Cooper City, Florida
), and was a student and letterman in football
and soccer. Olindo Mare graduated from Cooper City High School in 1991. Olindo played at MacMurray College
in Jacksonville, Illinois
and finished his college career for the Syracuse Orange
.
percentage of 81.2%. He is considered to be one of the best in the league at kickoffs
, with a career average of 63.8 yards.
In 2001
, Mare attempted his first, and thus far, only rushing
attempt on fake field goal against the Carolina Panthers
. He was stopped for a 5 yard loss.
While in 2004 season
, when Mare was out with a calf injury, current New England Patriots
wide receiver Wes Welker
replaced him and became only the second player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt, kick an extra point and a field goal, and make a tackle in a single game.
During the 2005 season
, he scored 25 of 30 on field goals, averaged 67.0 yards per kickoff, and had 16 touchbacks in 73 kicks. Mare also recorded his first fumble recovery during the season.
for a 2007
sixth-round draft pick. He inherited the position from kicker John Carney, who was released from the team a day after.
He missed his first field goal attempt of the 2007 season against the Indianapolis Colts
. At the midway point of the 2007 season, Mare had made exactly half of his field goal attempts. He also missed 3 field goals in the final preseason game. Early in the season, it was revealed that Mare injured his groin muscle, and punter Steven Weatherford took over on kick-offs for a few games. While playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mare missed his second attempt of the game, and ended up being called on again only a couple minutes later after the Saints intercepted and drove back into field goal range. Fans booed Mare as he walked on the field to attempt the long shot (over 50 yards), which he missed. Despite the reaction of fans, and his extremely poor play, head coach Sean Payton continued to stand by the kicker until he was injured in the second game against the Atlanta Falcons
, and replaced with Martín Gramática
.
On February 27, 2008 he was released from the Saints after only one season.
to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million.
He won the kicking battle during training camp and pre-season against Brandon Coutu
. He had a superb 2008 season as he finished the season kicking 24/27 field goals and making all of his PATs.
In 2009, Mare faced significant scrutiny after missing two field goals in a week 3 game against the Chicago Bears
. The misses resulted in a 6 point loss for the Seahawks. In a post-game news conference, Head Coach Jim Mora Jr. called Mare's playing "not acceptable". Olindo Mare had a fantastic 2009 season as he finished with 24/26 field goals with a franchise record 21 straight. He earned a 2009 Pro Bowl Alternate honor and a franchise tag that will give him a base salary of what the top 5 kickers make in the NFL or a 20% salary increase whichever is more.
Dick Stockton's inability to pronounce Mare's last name correctly has resulted in the nickname Mar-AA. Mar-AA is a reference to a Seattle drinking game.
Is mentioned in Wale's Song, "TV in the Radio".
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 Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
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 originally signed by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 1996. 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 MacMurray College
MacMurray College
MacMurray College is a career-directed liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2011 was 548. It is from Springfield and from Chicago....
and Syracuse.
Mare, who was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1999
2000 Pro Bowl
The 2000 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 6, 2000 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii Attendance— 50,112. The game was broadcast by ABC with a running time of three hours and sixteen minutes. The final score was NFC 51, AFC 31. The AFC coach was Tom Coughlin of Jacksonville.The NFC coach...
, has also played for 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...
, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
& Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
Early years
Mare attended Cooper City High SchoolCooper City High School
Cooper City High School is a high school located in Cooper City, Florida which teaches grades 9-12.The school includes standard high school curriculum plus specialized classes devoted to career development including auto tech and computer programming. It has an average enrollment of approximately...
(Cooper City, Florida
Cooper City, Florida
Cooper City is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named for Morris Cooper, who founded the community in 1959. The city's population was 28,547 at the 2010 census...
), and was a student and letterman in 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. Olindo Mare graduated from Cooper City High School in 1991. Olindo played at MacMurray College
MacMurray College
MacMurray College is a career-directed liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2011 was 548. It is from Springfield and from Chicago....
in Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
and finished his college career for the Syracuse Orange
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
.
Professional career
Mare has a career field goalField 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...
percentage of 81.2%. He is considered to be one of the best in the league at 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"...
, with a career average of 63.8 yards.
Miami Dolphins
Mare played the first 10 seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins.In 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, Mare attempted his first, and thus far, only rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
attempt on fake field goal against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. He was stopped for a 5 yard loss.
While in 2004 season
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...
, when Mare was out with a calf injury, current 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...
wide receiver Wes Welker
Wes Welker
-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...
replaced him and became only the second player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt, kick an extra point and a field goal, and make a tackle in a single game.
During the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, he scored 25 of 30 on field goals, averaged 67.0 yards per kickoff, and had 16 touchbacks in 73 kicks. Mare also recorded his first fumble recovery during the season.
New Orleans Saints
On April 3, 2007, the Dolphins traded Mare to the New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
for a 2007
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
sixth-round draft pick. He inherited the position from kicker John Carney, who was released from the team a day after.
He missed his first field goal attempt of the 2007 season against the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. At the midway point of the 2007 season, Mare had made exactly half of his field goal attempts. He also missed 3 field goals in the final preseason game. Early in the season, it was revealed that Mare injured his groin muscle, and punter Steven Weatherford took over on kick-offs for a few games. While playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mare missed his second attempt of the game, and ended up being called on again only a couple minutes later after the Saints intercepted and drove back into field goal range. Fans booed Mare as he walked on the field to attempt the long shot (over 50 yards), which he missed. Despite the reaction of fans, and his extremely poor play, head coach Sean Payton continued to stand by the kicker until he was injured in the second game against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and replaced with Martín Gramática
Martin Gramatica
Martín Gramática is an Argentine-American former football placekicker.Gramática was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft after playing college football at Kansas State, and has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Dallas...
.
On February 27, 2008 he was released from the Saints after only one season.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 27, 2008, Mare signed with the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million.
He won the kicking battle during training camp and pre-season against Brandon Coutu
Brandon Coutu
Brandon Coutu is an American football placekicker for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia....
. He had a superb 2008 season as he finished the season kicking 24/27 field goals and making all of his PATs.
In 2009, Mare faced significant scrutiny after missing two field goals in a week 3 game against the Chicago Bears
Chicago 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...
. The misses resulted in a 6 point loss for the Seahawks. In a post-game news conference, Head Coach Jim Mora Jr. called Mare's playing "not acceptable". Olindo Mare had a fantastic 2009 season as he finished with 24/26 field goals with a franchise record 21 straight. He earned a 2009 Pro Bowl Alternate honor and a franchise tag that will give him a base salary of what the top 5 kickers make in the NFL or a 20% salary increase whichever is more.
Dick Stockton's inability to pronounce Mare's last name correctly has resulted in the nickname Mar-AA. Mar-AA is a reference to a Seattle drinking game.
Personal
Mare is married to his wife Sandy, with three sons, Hayden, Rylan, and Landon, and one daughter, Kayla.Is mentioned in Wale's Song, "TV in the Radio".