Mat McBriar

Mat McBriar

No. 1     Dallas Cowboys
Punter
Personal information
Date of birth: 8 July 1979 (1979-07-08) (age 32)
Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
College: Hawaii
Undrafted in 2003
Debuted in 2004 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
Denver Broncos (2003)* Seattle Seahawks (2003)* Dallas Cowboys (2003–present) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl selection (2006, 2010) 2× All-Pro selection (2006, 2010)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
Punts	436
Punt yards	19,827
Punting average	45.5
Stats at NFL.com

Mat McBriar (born 8 July 1979) is an Australian American football punter in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys.

Early years

McBriar began as an Australian rules football player, playing Australian rules for Brighton Grammar School. At one stage, he entered a junior superkick competition, finishing 3rd overall.

He later moved to Hawaii, where he recorded the Warriors' all-time, single-game record with a 53.8 yards/attempt average against Tulane on 25 December 2002. He also had the second-best career punting average for Hawaii with an average of 42.22 yards/punt behind Jason Elam. In January 2003, McBriar was the first-ever Australian player to be selected to play in the Hula Bowl Maui, as Punter for the Kai (North) team.

Professional Career

Denver Broncos

On 28 April 2003, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Denver Broncos.

Seattle Seahawks

McBriar was traded from the Broncos to the Seattle Seahawks on 22 August 2003. Shortly thereafter, Seattle Seahawks waived him on 31 August 2003.

Dallas Cowboys

On 26 December 2003, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice squad.

In 2006, McBriar made headlines with a 75 yard punt which made the record books as the second longest in Cowboys' history.^[1] Also in 2006, he has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice for his outstanding punting ability.

In December 2006 season, McBriar was only the second ever Australian player to be selected in the Pro Bowl, as punter for the NFC team.^[2] His league leading 48.2 yards per punt average in 2006 was the highest the NFL had seen in 43 seasons. He also was the Cowboys' first Pro Bowl punter since 1971.

On 28 February 2007, the Cowboys extended McBriar's contract to a 5-year, $8.5 million contract. He also received a $2.5 million signing bonus. This contract makes McBriar the highest-paid punter in the league.

On 12 October 2008, McBriar sustained a season-ending fracture in his kicking foot when his punt was blocked and returned for the game-winning touchdown on the final play of an overtime loss against the Arizona Cardinals.^[3][4]

With the departure of Brad Johnson in 2009, McBriar took up holding duties for the Cowboys on field goals and extra point attempts. However, after several missed field goals, holding duties were handed over to Tony Romo in game 13 versus the San Diego Chargers.^[5] McBriar resumed his role as the team's holder during the 2010 season, in which he also was named to his second Pro Bowl.

References

1. ^ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/wireless/story/0,8262,10-20616377,00.html
2. ^ http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20958233-5001023,00.html
3. ^ http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=F7EE6B41-A8EB-5F7B-0EC3DEC7FB1D9604
4. ^ http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80bb7e20 Anatomy of a play - The blocked punt
5. ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/121009dnspocowdate.3d4f48d.html

External links

• Profile at NFL.com
• Dallas Cowboys bio