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Mike Vanderjagt

Mike Vanderjagt

Oakville’s Vanderjagt set kicking records while in the NFL

2006

From Canadian soccer balls to NFL field goals

"I'm just a little Oakville (Ontario) boy who kicked soccer balls around when I was seven years old, and all of a sudden I'm the most accurate kicker in NFL history," Vanderjagt told the Canadian Press.

Well, maybe not all of a sudden. The path from kicking a soccer ball in Canada to becoming the NFL's most dependable kicker was a long and winding one.

Coming out of Oakville's White Oaks high school, Vanderjagt was recruited to the NCAA Division I Michigan State Spartans as a quarterback. He then transferred to West Virginia and focused primarily on the kicking game.

In 1993 Vanderjagt signed his first professional contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but only saw action in two games. In the two years that followed, Vanderjagt was signed and released by Hamilton and Toronto, twice, never playing a game.

The 1996-97 season proved to be the kicker's first real break. He played 18 games with Toronto Argonauts and helped to lead the team the Grey Cup Championship. He stayed with the Argos for an additional year, and added another Grey Cup ring to his collection.

After five years in the CFL and then a short stint with Minnesota Pikes of the Arena Football League in 1996, the Indianapolis Colts signed Vanderjagt to help with the kicking game. That year, he surprised the Colts by posting the third-best field goal (FG) percentage of any rookie or first-year kicker in NFL history, with an 87.1 FG percentage.

"I have accomplished a lot, but that just tells me I never gave up, which is something I take pride in," added Vanderjagt.

Vanderjagt has continued to set records, both for the team and the league. He is the league's most accurate kicker, kicking 41straight field goals and setting a new NFL record last season (including post season). The veteran kicker has connected on 174 of 198 field goals (87.9%) and is the only player in club history to record five consecutive 100+-point seasons.

The key to Vanderjagt's success can be found right here in Canada. The kicker has a customized gym in his Burlington home, and recently had the Colts build football uprights in his backyard, to ensure a consistent approach to practice in the offseason.