Jason Witczak

Last updated

Jason Witczak
No. 11
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1978-05-24) May 24, 1978 (age 46)
North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:North Fond du Lac (WI) Horace Mann
College: Southeast Missouri State
Undrafted: 2001
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Nashville Kats Franchise Record 57-yard FG
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Jason Witczak (born May 24, 1978) is an American football player. He is currently a free agent kicker who most recently played for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.[ needs update ] Witczak has also spent time on the rosters of the Tennessee Titans [1] and the Buffalo Bills. [2]

Contents

College career

An all-conference wide receiver, safety and punter at Horace Mann High School in North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Witczak attended the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, where he played on the golf team. Because the school did not have a football program, Witczak transferred to Marshall University in 1998 to play both sports. [3] He played his sophomore and junior seasons at Marshall University, where he was the long distance field goal kicker and his longest kick was 46 yards.

Witczak then transferred to Southeast Missouri State University, where he was named to the 2000 Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA All-American Team as a punter, and had a nation-leading 41.3 net punting average. [4] Witczak punted 48 times for 1983 yards with 15 punts inside the 20-yard line, also connecting on 5 of 9 field goals with a long of 44. [5]

Professional career

2004

Witczak began his AFL career as a mid-season replacement for the Arizona Rattlers. During his first AFL game, he suffered a season-ending injury after tearing his ACL on a kickoff. He was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the 2004 season. He spent the 2005 preseason with the Rattlers, but was released before the regular season began.

2006

Witczak was signed as a mid-season replacement for the Nashville Kats, where he played in 7 games, hitting 4-11 (36.4%) field goals and 41-46 (89.1%) points after touchdown.

2007

Witczak broke a Kats record for the longest field goal in a game, completing a 57-yard field goal. [6] He finished the season 4-13 (30.8%) for field goals and 91.2% (103-113) for points after touchdown. His percentage on XPAT's tied him for 8th in the AFL.[ citation needed ]

2008

Witczak went 15-16 on points after touchdown and 0-2 on field goals before tearing the ACL in his kicking leg in week 3 against the San Jose Sabercats. He was placed on the injured reserve list and did not play again that season.

2010

Witczak went 39 of 42 (93%) on points after touchdown and 2 for 3 on field goals with a longest field goal of 45 yards before being replaced by Fabrizio Scaccia.

2011

Witczak was re-signed by the Arizona Rattlers for the last week of the season and the playoffs as a result of Fabrizio Scaccia's return to the San Francisco 49ers after the lockout ended. He hit 7 of 8 extra points in the last game of the regular season, and was 0 for 1 on field goals and 24 of 26 on extra points during the Rattlers run to the Arena Bowl, where they lost to the Jacksonville Sharks 73-70 on the last play of the game. Going 10-10 in the game on extra points set an Arena Bowl Record.[ citation needed ]

Golf career

Witczak received instruction from Manuel de la Torre in his home state of Wisconsin, playing in junior tournaments there. [3] [7] He is a Class A PGA Professional who taught from 2003 to 2009 in Phoenix at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge at Wildfire Golf Club before becoming a part-owner at Adobe Dam Family Golf Center in Glendale, Arizona, where he taught golf from 2009 to 2013. He is now the Director of Instruction for John Jacobs' Lesson and Instruction programs at Orange Tree Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. [8]

In 2004, Witczak won the Titleist/Foot Joy Assistant Pro Championship. In the 2007 Remax World Long Drive, he finished 13th in the world, with a drive of 404 yards. [9] He captured his first long drive title in 2011, winning the Sife Professional Long Drive Title in McKinney, Texas. In 2011 and 2012 he was runner-up in the Southwest Section Match Play Championship. He qualified for the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship. [10]

Related Research Articles

Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1970 season. It was the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and the first modern-era NFL championship game. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13 on a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game. The game was played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and was the first Super Bowl game played on artificial turf; specifically, the game was played on a Poly-Turf surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Blanda</span> American football player (1927–2010)

George Frederick Blanda was an American professional football quarterback and placekicker who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Feely</span> American football player and sportscaster (born 1976)

Thomas James Feely is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He started his playing career as a placekicker with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League (AFL) as a free agent in 1999 before playing for several National Football League (NFL) teams. Since his retirement, Feely has worked as a reporter and analyst for CBS/Turner Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Scobee</span> American football player (born 1982)

Joshua Taylor Scobee is an American former professional football placekicker. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Louisiana Tech, setting several school records.

Luis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former player of American football who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Arena Football League (AFL). He later played professionally in the United States Football League (USFL), and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 San Diego Chargers season</span> NFL team 47th season

The 2006 season was the San Diego Chargers' 37th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 47th overall and the fifth and final under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. They improved on their 9–7 record in 2005 and finished the campaign as the No. 1 seed in the AFC ending the season at 14–2, the best record in the NFL in 2006. Their two regular season losses were by a combined 6 points. The team would experience a brutal home-field playoff loss for the second time in the past three seasons losing in the final minutes, this time to the New England Patriots 24–21. This was the first of four consecutive AFC West titles for the Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Atlanta Falcons season</span> NFL team season; final one with Michael Vick

The 2006 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 41st in the National Football League (NFL). The team attempted to improve on their 8–8 record in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field goal</span> Means of scoring in gridiron football

A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges. American football requires that a field goal must only come during a play from scrimmage while Canadian football retains open field kicks and thus field goals may be scored at any time from anywhere on the field and by any player. The vast majority of field goals, in both codes, are placekicked. Drop-kicked field goals were common in the early days of gridiron football but are almost never attempted in modern times. A field goal may also be scored through a fair catch kick, but this is also extremely rare. In most leagues, a successful field goal awards three points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 New York Giants season</span> 83rd season in franchise history; third Super Bowl win

The 2007 season was the New York Giants' 83rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 32nd playing their home games at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and their fourth under head coach Tom Coughlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Livingston</span> American football player (1945–2009)

Dale Roger Livingston was an American football kicker and punter who became the starting kicker/punter on the Cincinnati Bengals first-team in 1968.

The 1967 AFL Championship Game was the eighth American Football League championship game, played on December 31 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

The National Football League playoffs for the 2008 season began on January 3, 2009. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27–23, on February 1, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The 2008 Atlanta Falcons season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Overcoming a disappointing 4–12 record, quarterback Michael Vick's dog fighting scandal and head coach Bobby Petrino's abrupt resignation in 2007, the Falcons, who were expected to be in a rebuilding phase, completed the regular season with a surprising 11–5 record and earned the #5 seed in the NFC playoffs under first-year head coach Mike Smith; however, the team fell to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

The 2002 season was the San Diego Chargers' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their first under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Their stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, hosted Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the season, but the Chargers' failure to secure a playoff berth marked the 18th straight season that the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played. Their division was reduced to four teams at the start of the season, with the Seattle Seahawks moving to the NFC. Despite going into their bye week with a 6–1 record, the Chargers suffered a late-season collapse, winning just two out of their last nine games after their bye week and missing the postseason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Arizona Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2008 Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Mike Stoops, in his fifth year at Arizona. The Wildcats played their home games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona and compete in the Pacific-10 Conference. Arizona finished the 2008 regular season with a record of 7–5, and faced BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 20, their first postseason appearance since 1998; they defeated the Cougars 31–21 for a final record of 8–5. In that game, the Wildcats' 31 points were the most put up by the team in any of their bowl appearances. Senior wide receiver Mike Thomas, playing in his final game as a Wildcat, also got the Pac-10 record of most receptions by any wide receiver in the Pac-10. Senior Quarterback Willie Tuitama was named MVP for the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, by throwing 328 yards, 2 pass TD's and 1 rush TD.

The 1988 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Beavers started the season 3–3–1, their best start in 20 years but lost all but one of their remaining games to post their 18th consecutive losing season. The Beavers' 4–6–1 record was their best record between 1971 and 1998.

The 2009 season was the New Orleans Saints' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL), and as of the 2023 season's conclusion, the most successful in franchise history. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 regular season victories an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the NFC South from 2008, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 en route to victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

The 2010 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 51st overall. It also marked the last full season under the ownership of Al Davis, who died in October 2011. The Raiders had improved from a five-win season, their first since 2002, and achieved their first non-losing season since losing Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26, 2003. However, the team missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. The Raiders picked 8th in the 2010 NFL draft. There were no blacked-out home games after the early part of the season and the team won all six of their division matches, including a then-franchise-record 59 points in Denver. The Raiders became the first team in NFL history to go undefeated in their division and still not make the playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabrizio Scaccia</span> American football player (born 1984)

Fabrizio Scaccia is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Arizona Rattlers as a street free agent in 2010. He attended Indian River State College, a school that did not have a football team, so he joined semi-pro football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernesto Lacayo</span> American football player (born 1989)

Ernesto Lacayo is an American football placekicker for the Duke City Gladiators of the Indoor Football League (IFL).

References

  1. Mishow, Marty. "Ex-Indian Witczak hooks up with Titans". Southeast Missourian , July 29, 2001, p. 2B. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  2. Mishow, Marty. "Bucs weren't a surprise, but domination was". Southeast Missourian, February 2, 2003, p. 5B. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  3. 1 2 D'Amato, Gary. "Playing for more than kicks" [ permanent dead link ]. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , July 17, 2000, p. 4C. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  4. Mishow, Marty. "SE punter Witczak collects big honor". Southeast Missourian, January 10, 2001, p. 1B. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  5. Arizona Rattlers. "Rattlers Sign Former Kicker Jason Witczak" Archived July 31, 2013, at archive.today (Press Release). July 20, 2011. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  6. Mishow, Marty. "Hogan worthy of holding Southeast's record". Southeast Missourian, April 1, 2007, p. 6B. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  7. Milwaukee Sentinel . "Witczak, Konicek win Sentinel titles" [ permanent dead link ]. August 11, 1992, p. 5B. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  8. PGA of America. "Jason L. Witczak, PGA". Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  9. PGA of America. "Saturday notebook" [ permanent dead link ]. June 23, 2012. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
  10. Stewart, Jerry. "Dobyns takes lead from Small at PGA Professional National Championship". Monterey Herald , June 26, 2012. Retrieved on July 31, 2013.
Preceded by Arizona Rattlers Placekickers
2008–2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Nashville Kats Placekickers
2006–2007
Succeeded by
Team Folded
Preceded by Arizona Rattlers Placekickers
2004–2004
Succeeded by
Nelson Garner