Robbie Gould

Robbie Gould
refer to caption
Gould with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017
No. 9 – San Francisco 49ers
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1982-12-06) December 6, 1982
Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school: Central Mountain
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania)
College: Penn State
Undrafted: 2005
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2017
Field goals: 328
Field goal attempts: 377
Field goal %: 87
Longest field goal: 58
Touchbacks: 247
Player stats at NFL.com

Robert Paul Gould III (/ˈɡoʊld/; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Gould was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State.

Early years

Gould was born to Cheryl and Robert Gould in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. His father was a three-time All-American soccer player who led Lock Haven University to a Division II national championship in 1980.[1] and was drafted by the St. Louis Steamers in the early 1980s.[2] He attended Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, where he won letters in football, soccer, basketball, and track.[3] During the 2000 Boys' Soccer District Championship, he scored the game-winning goal with only seconds remaining.

College career

Gould enrolled in Penn State University, where he played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Although originally interested in professional soccer, he eventually chose football and asked his high school principal to send a letter of recommendation to Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, who invited him to try out as a freshman walk-on.[1] In four years with the Nittany Lions, he converted 115-of-121 extra point attempts and 39-of-61 field goal attempts.[4]

Collegiate statistics

Year School Conf G XPM XPA XP% FGM FGA FG% Pts
2001 Penn State Big Ten 11 29 29 100.0 6 10 60.0 47
2002 Penn State Big Ten 13 42 45 93.3 17 22 77.3 93
2003 Penn State Big Ten 12 22 24 91.7 9 16 56.3 49
2004 Penn State Big Ten 11 22 23 95.7 7 13 53.8 43
Career Penn State 115 121 95.0 39 61 63.9 232

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots signed Gould prior to the 2005 NFL preseason even though they already had established Super Bowl-winning kicker Adam Vinatieri.[5] Following his expected preseason release from the Patriots, Gould signed with the Baltimore Ravens only to be waived three weeks later. He then took a sabbatical from football, working construction for M&R Contracting in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania.[6]

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears signed Gould on October 8, 2005, following the Week 3 injury of their starting kicker, Doug Brien.[7] Gould kicked his first NFL field goal the next week in a 20–10 loss at Cleveland, and his first game-winner in Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints, finishing the 2005 season with a 77% field goal percentage and hitting all but one of his 20 PAT attempts.[8][9]

Gould kicked 26 consecutive field goals during the 2006 NFL season, breaking former Bears’ kicker Kevin Butler’s record of most consecutive field goals and winning NFL Special Teams Player of the Month for October 2006 in the process. In addition, NFL fans across the nation voted Gould the NFC’s kicker for the 2007 Pro Bowl. He was also named to the 2006 All-Pro team by the Associated Press. His 25-yard overtime field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the Bears home field advantage throughout the ensuing playoffs.[10] On January 14, 2007, his 49-yard field goal in overtime against the Seattle Seahawks gave the Bears their first divisional playoff win since 1988, advancing them to the NFC Championship game, which they won. The Bears would later lose Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 29–17.[11]

The following season, Gould was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December 2008 after making all eight of his field goal attempts including two more overtime game-winners, becoming the fourth kicker of overtime game-winning field goals in back-to-back games in NFL history. He converted 26 of 29 field-goal attempts (89.7 percent) in 2008, breaking his own franchise single-season record for accuracy. Going into the 2009 season, he had converted 84.8 of his career field goal attempts.[12] He has missed three extra point attempts in his NFL career.[13]

Gould in 2008
Gould preparing to kick in 2009 against the San Francisco 49ers

On May 12, 2008, he signed a five-year extension with the Bears that would keep him on the team through the 2013 season.[14] The contract, reportedly worth $15.5 million, included a $4.25 million signing bonus and made Gould the NFL's highest-paid kicker.[15]

Gould made his tenth career game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 of 2012, and his ten consecutive field goals from 50 yards or more without a miss was second behind Tony Zendejas.[16]

Before pregame warm-ups Week 14 of 2012 against the Minnesota Vikings, Gould strained his left calf. After limited play during the game, Gould was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2012 season.[17]

In Week 1 of 2013 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Gould made a 58-yard field goal late in the first half, setting the Bears record for longest field goal and tying him with Zendejas for most consecutive 50+-yard field goals without a miss with eleven.[18] In Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings, Gould missed a career-high two field goals, tying his two missed kicks in 2006 against the St. Louis Rams;[19] the two field goals were a 66-yarder, which would have broken the NFL record for longest field goal converted, and a 47-yarder in overtime.[20] On December 27, Gould signed a four-year extension with the Bears worth $15 million, with $9 million guaranteed, the most by a kicker.[21] Gould ended the 2013 season converting 26 of 29 field goal attempts and 45 of 46 extra points for a total of 123 points scored.[22] Gould also became the second player in Bears history to record 1,000 points, with 1,025, 91 points behind Kevin Butler.[23] Gould's seven seasons with at least 100 points is a Chicago Bears record.[24]

In Week 5 of 2015 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gould became the Bears' all-time scoring leader with 1,118 points, overtaking Kevin Butler's record by two, with a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter.[25] At the end of the season, Gould made 33 field goals for this season, the most ever for a Bears kicker in a single season and the second-most in the NFL.[26][27] He concluded the year having converted 33 of 39 field goals for an 84.6 percentage, 19th in the league,[28] and leading the Bears in scoring with 127 points.[29] However, he struggled during the later portion of the season, missing two field goals against the 49ers and a potential game-tying kick against the Redskins,[30] with a combined two of five field goals converted in those two games.[31]

In 2016, Gould was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award.[32] He was released by the Bears on September 4, 2016, just one week before their first regular season game of the 2016 season. Gould, the longest-tenured player for the Bears, ended his career in Chicago as the team's all-time leader in career points (1,207), field goals made (276), and career field goals of at least 50 yards (23).[33]

New York Giants

In the wake of Josh Brown's domestic abuse investigation, Gould was signed by the New York Giants on October 20, 2016.[34] Gould took the number 5 because Giants' punter Brad Wing already had the number 9. He kicked his first field goal for the Giants against the Los Angeles Rams On October 23.[35][36] In the November 20 game against the Bears, Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal but missed two extra point attempts against his former team.[37] He kicked four field goals against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 22.[38] Gould was 10 for 10 on field goals for the Giants.[39]

San Francisco 49ers

Gould kicking a field goal in a game against the Redskins

On March 9, 2017, Gould signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.[40] On September 10, in his 49ers debut, Gould converted a 44-yard field goal against the Carolina Panthers in a 23–3 loss.[41] On October 1, he kicked five field goals against the Arizona Cardinals.[42] During a Week 13 match-up against the Chicago Bears, Gould kicked five field goals to lift San Francisco over his former team 15–14, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[43][44] On December 10, Gould kicked four field goals against the Houston Texans.[45] In Week 15, Gould booted six field goals, including a 45-yard game winner as time expired in a 25–23 win over the Titans, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[46] The last time a 49ers' kicker made six field goals in a game was in 1996 by Jeff Wilkins.[47] He finished the season third in scoring with 145 points.[48] He was voted as an alternate to the 2018 Pro Bowl.[49]

In Week 2 of the 2018 season, Gould kicked three field goals, including a 36-yard game-winner, in a 30-27 win over the Detroit Lions, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[50]

Personal life

Gould at 2008 summer training camp

Despite the difference in spelling, his surname ("Gould") uses the same pronunciation as the element (gold): "gōld". This has prompted some announcers to dub him "Robbie Gould is gold", "Solid Gould" or "Good as Gould" upon his successful field goal attempts.[51]

His younger brother, Chris Gould, was a kicker for the University of Virginia, and in the Arena Football League and is currently an assistant special teams coach for the Denver Broncos.[52] The two also have a cousin, Brandon Thomas Gould, who played on the offensive line for Bethune-Cookman University.

On December 1, 2013, Gould's wife Lauren gave birth to their first child, a son.[53]

References

  1. 1 2 Altoona Mirror | Altoona Mirror
  2. ↑ "CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports". Virginiasports.cstv.com. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  3. ↑ "Big 33: Kicker lifts Pennsylvania to win, 31-29". Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  4. ↑ "Robbie Gould Career Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Scout.com: Gould Getting a Leg Up". Story.scout.com. 2007-01-22. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  6. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2006-12-20). "Bears Pro Bowlers traversed different path to NFL". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  7. ↑ Archived December 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Bears vs. Browns - Game Recap - October 10, 2005". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  9. ↑ "Bears vs. Saints - Game Summary - November 6, 2005". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  10. ↑ "Grossman stays hot in leading Bears to win". Chicago Bears. 2006-12-18. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  11. ↑ Hamilton, Brian. "Bears fall in sloppy Super Bowl". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  12. ↑ chicagotribune.com (2008-05-12). "Huddle Up: Gould's Five year extension makes him highest paid kicker". blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  13. ↑ url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/9354/robbie-gould |accessdate=2014-10-13
  14. ↑ espn.com (2008-05-12). "Year after Pro Bowl season, Bears sign kicker Gould to five-year extension". espn.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  15. ↑ Seligman, Andrew (2008-05-12). "Bears make Robbie Gould NFL's highest-paid kicker". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  16. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2012-12-11). "Gould among three Bears played on injured reserve". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  17. ↑ "Bears' Gould out for season". Yahoo! Sports. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  18. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2013-09-08). "Bears vs. Benagsl game blog". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  19. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2013-12-03). "How have Bears fared when needing one yard?". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  20. ↑ Chase, Chris (2013-12-01). "Marc Trestman blew it for the Chicago Bears, not Robbie Gould". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  21. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (2013-12-27). "Robbie Gould signs four-year extension with Bears". National Football League. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  22. ↑ "2013 Season Highlights". Chicago Bears. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  23. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2014-01-31). "Gould gave Bears leg to stand on". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  24. ↑ Mayer, Larry (2013-12-27). "Bears sign Gould to extension". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  25. ↑ Wagner-McGough, Sean (October 11, 2015). "Kicker Robbie Gould now holds Bears franchise record for points scored". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ "By the Numbers: 2015". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  27. ↑ Mayer, Larry (February 15, 2016). "Position focus on special teams". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Percentage Of Field Goals Made Leaders - Qualified". ESPN. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Total Points Leaders". ESPN. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Bears ST coordinator is 'not concerned' about Robbie Gould's slump". Foxsports.com. December 16, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  31. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (September 5, 2016). "Bears sign Connor Barth as new kicker". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  32. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (2016-04-04). "Robbie Gould wins Ed Block Courage Award". ESPN. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  33. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (September 5, 2016). "Bears sign Connor Barth as new kicker". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  34. ↑ Eisen, Michael. "Giants sign kicker Robbie Gould". Giants.com.
  35. ↑ The Associated Press (2016-10-23). "Giants Use Four Interceptions to Defeat the Rams in London". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  36. ↑ "Robbie Gould hits his first Giants field goal". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  37. ↑ Hubbuch, Bart (2016-11-20). "Why ex-Chicago kicker Gould hadn't seen anything like this wind". New York Post. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  38. ↑ Eisen, Michael (2016-12-23). "Giants come up short in final seconds, fall to Eagles 24-19". Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  39. ↑ Kratch, James (2017-03-09). "Giants have more kicking questions as Robbie Gould signs with 49ers, reports say". NJ Advance Media. NJ.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  40. ↑ Conway, Tyler. "San Francisco 49ers, Robbie Gould Reportedly Agree to Contract". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  41. ↑ "49ers' Robbie Gould: Perfect in 49ers' debut". CBSSports.com. September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  42. ↑ Baum, Bob (October 1, 2017). "Palmer's TD toss to Fitzgerald beats 49ers in OT". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  43. ↑ Kenney, Madeline (December 3, 2017). "Pure Gould: Former kicker beats Bears on return to Soldier Field". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  44. ↑ Lam, Quang M. (December 6, 2017). "Josh McCown, Wilson among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  45. ↑ Wagoner, Nick (December 10, 2017). "Jimmy Garoppolo elevates 49ers to second straight win". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  46. ↑ Lam, Quang M. (December 20, 2017). "Rob Gronkowski, Gurley among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  47. ↑ "Single Game - San Francisco 49ers - Field Goals >=6". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  48. ↑ "2017 NFL Scoring Summary". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  49. ↑ Fucillo, David (December 20, 2017). "Greg Zuerlein placed on IR, likely means Robbie Gould is headed to the Pro Bowl". Niners Nation. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  50. ↑ Knoblauch, Austin (September 19, 2018). "Mahomes, Fitzpatrick among NFL Players of Week". NFL.com.
  51. ↑ Clark, Geoffrey (May 14, 2008). "Chicago Bears Strike a Gold Mine Signing Robbie Gould through 2013". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  52. ↑ Mayer, Larry (February 8, 2016). "Gould celebrates his brother's title win". Chicago Bears. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  53. ↑ Campbell, Rich (2013-12-01). "Gould taken on emotional roller-coaster ride". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
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