Pat McAfee

Pat McAfee
No.1 Indianapolis Colts
McAfee with the Colts in 2014
No. 1
Position: Punter
Personal information
Born: (1987-05-02) May 2, 1987
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school: Plum (PA)
College: West Virginia
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 7 / Pick: 222
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 575
Punting yards: 26,669
Punting average: 46.4
Longest punt: 74
Inside 20: 193
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Patrick Justin McAfee (born May 2, 1987) is a former American football punter who played eight seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He was a placekicker and punter at West Virginia and was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. McAfee retired from football in February 2017 and joined the satirical sports blog Barstool Sports until August 31, 2018. He also performs as a stand-up comedian and has appeared as a Pro Wrestling commentator on the WWE's NXT TakeOver: New Orleans panel in April 2018 and NXT TakeOver: Chicago II in June 2018.

Early career

High school

McAfee attended Plum High School in his hometown of Plum, Pennsylvania, playing both soccer and football. As a senior, he borrowed $100 from a friend and played poker at an illegal poker club, turning it into $1,400. He used the funds to finance a trip to Miami to participate in the final day of a national competition highlighting the best field goal kicking prospects in America. McAfee made nine consecutive field goals, starting at 25 yards and moving five yards out each time. He narrowly missed a 70-yard field goal, with the ball missing to the right but with enough distance to make it. After returning home, he was approached in the school's lunchroom by Tony Gibson, West Virginia's recruiting coordinator, who offered him a scholarship.[1]

College career

Freshman season

McAfee earned the starting job at West Virginia as a freshman. He was 11-for-18 as a freshman on field goals, and had 70 kickoffs for the season with 20 being touchbacks. McAfee's most memorable moment came against Louisville in a 46–44 triple overtime win, which was reached after a successful McAfee onside kick. The onside kick gave running back Steve Slaton the chance to tie the game with a one-yard touchdown run.[2]

Sophomore season

Although they had losses to Louisville and USF, the Mountaineers won ten games and were victors in the Gator Bowl over Georgia Tech.[3]

Junior season

McAfee started his junior season with a missed extra point against Western Michigan, ending his streak of 106 consecutive extra points. He finished the season in the Fiesta Bowl with a 2 for 4 performance, having one kick blocked by Oklahoma. He was named to the ESPN All-Bowl Team following the bowl season.[4]

McAfee missed two relatively short field goals in WVU's 13–9 loss to a Pitt Panthers team with only 4 wins; ultimately taking the Mountaineers out of the BCS National Championship Game. He was named to the 2007 Lou Groza Award semi-finalist list for the best collegiate kicker. McAfee earned Big East Special Team Player of the week honors three times in 2007 and was named second-team All-Big East. He earned West Virginia's Scott Shirley Award for the second consecutive year.

Senior season

McAfee began his senior year in a 48–21 season-opening victory over Villanova in which he kicked two field goals, including a career-long of 52-yards, six extra points, and two punts. In the following 27–3 win over Marshall, McAfee became the school record holder for all-time scoring with a field goal, passing Slaton.[5] He went two for two on field goals to move to third place for the Big East record of career field goals made in a 34–17 victory over Auburn.

Perhaps McAfee's most memorable performance of the season came against Cincinnati on November 8. The Mountaineers trailed by 13 points with 1:11 left in regulation, but reduced the deficit to 3 points with a safety, touchdown, and two-point conversion, all in less than a minute. Departing fans came sprinting back into the stadium just in time to see McAfee's onside kick recovered with 18 seconds remaining. He would tie the game as time expired with a 52-yard field goal, but the Mountaineers would go on to lose in overtime.

McAfee finished his senior year with a career-best 44.7 yards per punt average, a Big East-leading 23 punts inside the 20-yard line, and a career-high 2,639 yards with a 65-yard long.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Following his senior season at WVU, McAfee was invited to the 2009 Senior Bowl in Alabama, joining Mountaineers Pat White and Ellis Lankster. He started the Senior Bowl as the South team's kicker. McAfee performed in the 11th annual State Farm College Football All-Star Challenge, winning the "round the world" kicking competition. As he was not invited to the NFL Combine, he had team workouts with Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, all as a kicker.[6]

Indianapolis Colts

McAfee was drafted in the seventh round (222nd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. McAfee was signed before training camp. He handled punting and kick-off duties for the Colts in 2009, as well as holding for extra-points and field goals, a position he never held before.

McAfee maintained a 46.6-yard punting average for the 2011 regular season, a career-high mark. He would better that mark the following season by posting a 48.2-yard average on punts.[7] On March 7, 2014, McAfee announced he had signed a five-year contract to remain with the Colts.[8]

McAfee was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 2014. He led the NFL in punting average (45.6 yards) and touchbacks on kickoff (24), and converted the NFL's only two successful onside kicks in the first four weeks of the season.[9] In week 6, McAfee converted his third onside kick of the season, recovering the ball himself after it traveled the necessary 10 yards.[10] On December 23, 2014, McAfee was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl,[11] and on January 2, 2015, he was selected by the Associated Press as the First Team All-Pro punter.[12] On December 20, 2016, McAfee was named to his second Pro Bowl.[13]

On February 2, 2017, after eight seasons, McAfee retired from the NFL and stated he intended to join Barstool Sports as a contributor. He cited his recent knee operation (his third in four seasons) as a factor in his decision, as well as his annoyed relationship with Colts' general manager Ryan Grigson.[14][15]

Career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

SeasonTeamPunting
GPPuntsYdsNet YdsLngAvgNet AvgBlkOOBDnIn 20TBFCRetRetYTD
2009IND 16642,8372,4166044.337.800721615363010
2010IND 15652,7312,3026642.035.403821722252891
2011IND 16884,0983,4886446.639.2181121318485501
2012IND 16733,5202,9856448.240.3110926814323751
2013IND 16763,4992,9636546.038.5181527717293961
2014IND 16693,2212,9566146.742.807530319352050
2015IND 16854,0523,5466347.741.7071328623363863
2016IND 16552,7112,3927449.342.717519917171390
Career 12757526,66923,0487446.440.145073193491452582,6417

Postseason

SeasonTeamPunting
GPPuntsYdsNet YdsLngAvgNet AvgBlkOOBDnIn 20TBFCRetRetYTD
2009IND 3125505145645.842.80003174160
2010IND 141531384638.334.50011021150
2012IND 141941375348.534.30000004570
2013IND 263102685851.744.70000006420
2014IND 283752966846.937.00111303190
Career 9341,5821,3506846.238.7012549181490

After football

Barstool Heartland

Following his retirement from football at the close of the 2016-17 season, McAfee joined Barstool Sports, where he developed the "Heartland" division of the company in Indianapolis, Indiana where he hosted The Pat McAfee Show on SiriusXM channel Barstool Power 85. McAfee announced his separation from Barstool Sports on August 31, 2018, citing a lack of transparency with the business operations of the company as his reason for leaving.

Other Appearances

McAfee is a regular on the nationally syndicated morning radio program The Bob & Tom Show. He has described co-host Bob Kevoian as one of his best friends during an interview on the Off the Air Podcast hosted by sports commentator Chick McGee[16]

WWE (2018-present)

On April 7, 2018, he appeared as a co-host on the pre show panel for WWE's NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. On June 16, 2018, he appeared once again as a co-host on the pre-show panel for WWE's NXT TakeOver: Chicago II. He appeared again on August 18, 2018 as a host for WWE's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 pre-show with Charly Caruso and Sam Roberts.

Philanthropy

The Pat McAfee Foundation

The Pat McAfee Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with the goal of providing assistance for the sons and daughters of military personnel. McAfee worked closely with his father, Tim McAfee, to establish the foundation.[17]

In May 2016, McAfee created a company named Shirts for America, to serve as a sponsor for Indycar driver Conor Daly for the 2016 Indianapolis 500 and to support both the Pat McAfee Foundation and Wish for Our Heroes. [18]

In November 2011, McAfee chopped off his signature locks for Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces for children who are suffering from long-term illness and are poor.[19]

Personal life

On October 20, 2010, McAfee was arrested and charged with public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor. McAfee had been found shirtless and wet, and alleged to have swum in a canal in Broad Ripple, a popular nightclub area, at approximately 5:15 that morning after being reported by a woman who found him near her car. Police reported that he tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.15.[20] The Colts later issued a one-game suspension to McAfee for his actions.[21] Two weeks after being arrested, McAfee issued an apology for his actions. "Obviously I made a dumb decision on a night when things got out of control," he said. "I will never put my team or my family through this kind of embarrassment again." Since the October 2010 arrest, McAfee has not had any run-ins with the law.[22]

On January 4, 2014, McAfee tweeted a photo with Colts teammate Andrew Luck in the background, almost completely nude.[23] McAfee, who was taking a picture of kicker Adam Vinatieri being interviewed in the locker room, apologized for the incident and was fined $10,000 by the Colts organization, according to his interview with the Bob & Tom Show.[24]

McAfee is also a stand-up comedian, and has performed in events around Indiana.[25]

On February 5, 2016, McAfee became a Guinness World Record Holder by successfully kicking a 40-yard field goal while blindfolded.[26]

In 2018, McAfee signed with the WWE to be a panelist for NXT.

References

  1. ↑ Keefer, Zak (October 24, 2014). "$100, a lie and a poker club: How Pat McAfee became an NFL punter". indystar.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "MSNsportsNET.Com - West Virginia University Mountaineers".
  3. ↑ "MSNsportsNET.Com - West Virginia University Mountaineers".
  4. ↑ "ESPN.com's 2007 All-Bowl Football Team". sports.espn.go.com.
  5. ↑ http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=13500&cat=exclusives
  6. ↑ Jose (2016-07-16), Pat McAfee: Uncaged Part 2, retrieved 2017-06-20
  7. ↑ "Pat McAfee, P for the Indianapolis Colts". NFL.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Sanchez, Josh (March 7, 2014). "Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts agree to five-year deal". fansided.com. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Colts' Pat McAfee named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month". wthr.com. October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Mandell, Nina (October 9, 2014). "The Colts completely fooled the Texans with an early onside kick". ftw.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  11. ↑ "2015 Pro Bowl: Complete roster". NFL.com. December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  12. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (January 2, 2015). "2014 All-Pro Teams: Analysis of the full rosters". nfl.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ Horner, Scott (December 20, 2016). "T.Y. Hilton, Pat McAfee of the Colts named to Pro Bowl". indystar.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Colts punter Pat McAfee retires from NFL to join Barstool Sports | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  15. ↑ https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/09/05/pat-mcafee-ryan-grigson-fining-me-for-an-instagram-post-led-to-my-retirement/
  16. ↑ "Episode 128: Pat McAfee Returns". Off the Air Podcast. February 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ "About Us-History". Pat McAfee Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  18. ↑ "Pat McAfee founds company Shirts for America to sponsor Conor Daly in Indy 500". WHTR. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Chapman, Chuck. "Pat McAfee Sheds Ponytail for Charity". Sports Media 101. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "Colts' McAfee Suspended After Public Intoxication Arrest". theindychannel.com. October 21, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Colts punter Pat McAfee charged with misdemeanor - IndyStar.com".
  22. ↑ "Colts punter Pat McAfee apologizes for 'embarrassing' arrest". USA Today. November 3, 2010.
  23. ↑ Hanzus, Dan (January 9, 2014). "Pat McAfee fined for posting Andrew Luck in the buff". NFL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  24. ↑ "NFL punter Pat McAfee Explains His Tweet".
  25. ↑ Bream, Rebecca. "Pat McAfee making Indiana comedy tour". Indy Star. USA Today. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  26. ↑ daSilva, Cameron. "Colts' Pat McAfee sets Guinness World Record for longest blindfolded FG". Fox Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
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