 Gramtica (right) at a kicking camp |
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| Free Agent | |
| Placekicker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: November 27, 1975 | |
| Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | Weight: 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Kansas State | |
| NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80 | |
| Debuted in 1999 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of week 5, 2008 | |
| Field Goals Made | 155 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 203 |
| Field Goals % | 76.4 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Martín Gramática (born November 27, 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State.
Gramática has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He is the older brother of professional placekickers Bill Gramática and Santiago Gramática.
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Early years
Gramatica went to LaBelle High School in LaBelle, Florida. but did not play football until senior year after growing up playing soccer in Argentina. He hit 8 out of 10 field goals (longest 52 yds), 22 PATs, and sent 38 of 49 kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks.
College career
In college, he attended Kansas State University where he made 54 out of 70 field goals and 187-192 PATs gaining a school record of 349 points in four seasons. He also set the single-season school record with 135 points. This earned him the nickname "Automatica". In 1996 he was granted a medical redshirt. Gramatica was a first-team All-America choice by the Associated Press both his junior and senior years and received the Lou Groza Award in 1998. Notably, he was 3-3 on field goals from 50+ yards his junior year, and as a senior kicked a phenomenal 65-yarder against Northern Illinois – the longest field goal in college and professional football history kicked without a tee. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in social science in May 1999. Also of note was his characteristic jumping in celebration after every successful field goal, however he stopped this after his brother Bill tore his ACL while playing for the Arizona Cardinals and celebrating in a similar manner after kicking a field goal.
He has been inducted into Kansas State's Ring of Honor.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gramática was selected in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played there for five seasons. He was the starter for the NFC Pro Bowl team in 2001. In 2002 he won Super Bowl XXXVII with Tampa Bay, becoming the first Argentine-American in history to do so.
In 2003, Gramática had a noticeable drop in accuracy with field goals of 40 yards or longer - a trend that continued in 2004 until he was ultimately released by the Buccaneers.
Indianapolis Colts
Gramática was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in December 2004 and was used exclusively for kickoffs. Gramatica later revealed in an interview in September 2005 with news-press.com that he believed the reason for his struggles was because of torn muscles in his lower abductor and lower abdomen, which he had surgically repaired during the offseason. However, his rehabilitation was not completed until after the season started, and did not sign with a team for the 2005 season.
New England Patriots
On April 6, 2006, the New England Patriots signed Gramática as a replacement for Adam Vinatieri, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Gramática competed with fourth-round draft pick Stephen Gostkowski for the position; on August 23, the Patriots gave the job to Gostkowski and released Gramática.
Indianapolis Colts
On September 22, he signed with the Colts to back up Adam Vinatieri and was released on October 4, but re-signed on four days later, and yet again subsequently released.
Dallas Cowboys
Gramática was then signed by the Dallas Cowboys on November 27, 2006 when they released Mike Vanderjagt.
On December 3, in his debut with the Dallas Cowboys, Gramática kicked the game-winning field goal from 46-yards out against the New York Giants, leaving 00:01 on the clock and the Dallas team celebrating on the sideline.
Before the start of the 2007 season, Gramática signed a two-year extension with the Cowboys. After being placed on injured reserve for the 2007 season on September 2, 2007[1], he was released on September 25.
New Orleans Saints
On December 12, 2007 Gramática was signed by the New Orleans Saints after kicker Olindo Mare was injured. Shortly after returning to the game, on December 23, he matched his last personal long field goal of 55 yards just before halftime in a pivotal game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the 2008 preseason, Gramática was challenged by sixth-round draft pick Taylor Mehlhaff for the team's placekicking job. Gramática retained the job as Mehlhaff was waived by the Saints on August 30 during final cuts.
Gramática was perfect in field goals with the Saints until September 21, 2008, when he missed two critical field goals in a loss to the Denver Broncos. On October 6, he had a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown and a missed 46-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Just two days after the game against Minnesota, Gramática was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The team re-signed rookie Taylor Mehlhaff, who had lost the competition to Gramática in the preseason, to replace him. The Saints used 2 other kickers that season. Gramatica was released at the end of the year.
Personal
Martín and his brothers, Bill and Santiago, currently host Gramática Kicking Camps (American football place kicking and punting) in Tampa, Florida and surrounding areas. He also actively supports the efforts of Football Americano Argentina, a starting league in his home country.
He and his wife, Ashlee, have two sons, Nicolás and Gastón.
Martín is in business with brother Bill, as a part of the Gramatica Group LLC. Gramatica Group, LLC provides architectural designs, engineering services, and complete design turnkey installation capabilities throughout the southeastern United States.
References
External links
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