 Janikowski in November 2008 |
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| No. 11 Oakland Raiders | |
| Placekicker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: March 3, 1978 | |
| Place of birth: Wałbrzych | |
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Florida State | |
| NFL Draft: 2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17 | |
| Debuted in 2000 for the Oakland Raiders | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008 | |
| Field Goals Made | 203 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 263 |
| Field Goals % | 77.2 |
| Long Field Goal | 57 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Sebastian Janikowski (born March 3, 1978 in Wałbrzych, Poland) is a Polish placekicker who currently plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league[1], and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He currently lives in Castro Valley, California
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Early years
Sebastian Janikowski was born to Henryk Janikowski and Halina Janikowska in Wałbrzych, located in Lower Silesia in southwest Poland. Henryk was a professional soccer player, and moved to the United States in the early 1980s in the hopes of reviving his career. Years after emigrating, Henryk divorced Halina and married an American. Left at home with just his mother, Sebastian began to excel at soccer himself. In 1993, 15-year-old Sebastian earned a spot on the Polish under-17 team.
His father's marriage to an American meant that Sebastian could legally emigrate to America. He did so at the urging of his mother, even though the two were very close and it was emotionally painful for Sebastian. The teenager spoke very little English, and attended Orangewood Christian High School but learned quickly by taking a three-week night class and by watching television. Janikowski played in only 5 games for the Orangewood Christian soccer team, but led them to the Class A State Championship game by scoring 15 goals, where they lost to Lakeland Christian in penalty kicks (3-2).
Now living in Orlando, Florida with his father and stepmother, Janikowski joined the Orlando Lions, an under-19 soccer club coached by Angelo Rossi. Rossi was also the soccer coach at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, and he convinced Henryk that his son would be better off there. Henryk agreed but was unwilling to move, so Sebastian moved in with Rossi's family.
During his senior year at Seabreeze, Janikowski played both soccer and football after being recruited by the school's football coach. As the team's placekicker, he quickly earned a reputation by kicking four field goals of 50+ yards. One of them was for 60 yards, third-best in Florida prep school history. USA Today named Janikowski to its 1996 All-American team.
After being heavily recruited by some of the top collegiate football programs, Janikowski decided on Florida State University.
Florida State and legal troubles
Janikowski played three seasons for the Seminoles, where he amassed a career scoring total of 324 points (3rd all-time for the school). In 1999 he became the first kicker to twice win the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate kicker. While he excelled on the field, it was at Florida State that Janikowski's lifestyle started causing problems.
In August 1998, he got into a fight outside of a Tallahassee bar. Janikowski was charged with failure to leave the premises and pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor offense. Janikowski had a breakout season in 1998, and the Seminoles were in contention for a national championship. The night after a season-ending win over rival Florida, Janikowski got into another fight at a local bar. This time he was charged with battery.
Janikowski stayed out of trouble for most of the 1999 season, which again found FSU in contention for a national title. Prior to the team's appearance in the national championship game (the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana), Janikowski declared his intentions to declare himself eligible for the 2000 NFL Draft.
Although Janikowski's skill as a kicker was unquestioned by NFL scouts, his off-the-field behavior was a great cause of concern. In January 2000, Janikowski was partying with a group of friends when his high school friend was arrested at a nightclub. Janikowski, who later said he was thinking he could save everyone paperwork and the trouble, approached the arresting officer and asked how much it would take to let his friend go. He was then arrested for attempting to bribe an officer, a charge that carried a $5,000 fine, up to five years in prison, and possible deportation. Janikowski claimed that he thought he could pay a fine to have his friend released, the officer interpreted the action as an attempted bribe.[2]
Oakland Raiders and more legal troubles
Despite the threat of criminal charges and deportation, Janikowski was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft—only the 3rd time a place kicker had been taken in the first round in NFL history.
Janikowski was acquitted of his bribery charge in June 2000. He had testified on his own behalf, stating that he was simply trying to pay his friend's fine and not bribe the arresting officer. Just eight days after his acquittal, Janikowski and two friends were arrested in Tallahassee on suspicion of felony possession of the drug GHB. Once again, he faced prison time or deportation if convicted. He was acquitted of all charges in April 2001.[3] Janikowski, who earned a reputation for partying at Florida State, was charged with DUI on October 2, 2002 and given three years' probation after pleading no contest. Less than a year later, he was arrested after a fight at a Walnut Creek, California restaurant. The case was later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Despite his troubles since entering the NFL, Janikowski has annually performed at a high level. After the 2004 season he was given a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $10.5 million, making him, at the time, the highest paid kicker in NFL history. He is also known to have frequently partied with teammate Darrell Russell before Russell left the NFL and eventually died in a serious car accident. Much like Janikowski, Russell had an extensive police record.[4].
On November 4, 2007, Janikowski attempted a 64-yard record attempt before halftime against Houston Texans on a windless Oakland afternoon in McAfee Coliseum. While it had the distance, it bounced off the right upright and came back out.[5]
On September 14 2008 Janikowski made a 56-yard field goal at Arrowhead Stadium. It was the longest field goal in Oakland Raider history. Two weeks later, on September 28, Janikowski attempted a 76-yard field goal against the San Diego Chargers into the heavy wind right before halftime. It fell just short of the goal line where it was fielded by the Chargers' Antonio Cromartie. The attempt was well short of being successful, as the uprights are 10 yards beyond the goal line, with the crossbar having a height of 10 feet. [6] This is presumed to be the longest attempt in NFL history, though the league keeps no such records on attempts;[7] the longest known attempt previous to this was a 74-yard fair catch kick by Mark Moseley in 1979.
On October 18, 2008, Janikowski broke his own team record, making a 57-yard field goal in overtime to defeat the New York Jets, 16-13. He is currently the highest scoring player in the Oakland Raiders history.
Awards and records
- Lou Groza Award - 1998, 1999
- All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team - 1999
- All-American First Team - 1998, 1999
- Oakland Raiders franchise record for highest field goal completion percentage (76% entering 2008)
- Longest field goal in Oakland Raiders franchise history at 57 yards
- Presumed longest field goal attempt in NFL history at 76 yards[7]
- Longest field goal to end overtime in NFL history at 57 yards
- Most career points in Raiders history (865)
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sebastian Janikowski |
- Raiders Bio
- Official website
- Career statistics at pro-football reference.com.
- Legal history.
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