Sam Ficken
| No. -- Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Placekicker |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | December 14, 1992 |
| Place of birth: | Valparaiso, Indiana |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 184 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Valparaiso (IN) |
| College: | Penn State (2011–2014) |
| Undrafted: | 2015 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Bowl games: | |
Samuel James Ficken (born December 14, 1992) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He had a short stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), before being cut before the beginning of the 2016 NFL season . He played college football at Penn State University.
High School
Ficken, a former soccer player, was born in Valparaiso, Indiana, and attended Valparaiso High School, where he was named first-team Associated Press Class 5A all-state kicker. He also was a member of the all-area team. Ficken made 13 field goals during his senior year, including a school-record 52 yard kick. He also had 45 touchbacks on kickoffs.[1]
College
2011
Ficken saw little action in 2011 behind veteran starting kicker, Anthony Fera. He hit a point after touchdown in the opener against Indiana State, as well as kicking off once. He missed his first collegiate field goal attempt in a game against Temple, but rebounded with a completed field goal against Eastern Michigan.[2] Besides two more kickoffs, Ficken did not play for the remainder of the year.[1]
2012
Ficken became the starting kicker in 2012. Ficken started the year off poorly, missing 7 of his first 11 field goals (including one from the one yard line in a game against Illinois, as well as missing 4 out of 5 in a one-point loss to Virginia[3]). However, after being mentored by starting Chicago Bears placekicker Robbie Gould,[4] he finished the year by hitting ten straight successful field goals, putting him 14 for 21 on the year. Ficken also completed 39 of 41 extra-point attempts (one was blocked, the other one was a miss).[2] He was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on November 26, 2012, after a 3 for 3 game against the Wisconsin Badgers, one of which was the game-winning kick in overtime.[4]
2013
Ficken broke the Penn State record for consecutive field goals made. He made 15 consecutive field goals from October 27, 2012 to September 14, 2013.[5]
2014
To start the season, Ficken kicked a last-second, game-winning field goal in the 2014 Croke Park Classic.[6] During the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College, Ficken tied the game with a 44-yard field goal and kicked the game-winning point after touchdown in overtime.
NFL
2015
After being undrafted during the 2015 draft, Ficken attended the Kansas City Chiefs minicamp in May 2015, but was not signed.[7]
2016
Ficken was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars 90-man roster on July 25, 2016.[8] On August 29, 2016, Ficken was waived by the Jaguars.[9]
References
- 1 2 "Sam Ficken Profile - Penn state Official Athletic Site". Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- 1 2 "Sam Ficken Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio - Penn State Nittany Lions". ESPN. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ↑ Pencek, Matthew (September 10, 2012). "Sam Ficken's bad day recalls Penn State kicker Ray Tarasi and redemption". PennLive LLC. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- 1 2 Kaplan, Emily. "Penn State's Jordan Hill, Sam Ficken honored by Big Ten". Philly.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ↑ Moyer, Josh. "Sam Ficken goes from goat to hero". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ↑ Crowe, Aisling (August 31, 2014). "Croke Park lights up as sport and theatre collide". Independent.ie. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ↑ Penn State's Sam Ficken plans to follow Robbie Gould's model for NFL success www.mcall.com, Retrieved June 13, 2015
- ↑ "Jacksonville Jaguars on Twitter". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ↑ Oehser, John. "CB Demetrius McCray among eight players waived". Jaguars.com.