Jason Elam facts for kids
Elam in 2009
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 8, 1970 Fort Walton Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Brookwood (Snellville, Georgia) | ||||||||||
| College: | Hawaii | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 70 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Jason Douglas Elam (pronounced EE-ləm; born March 8, 1970) is a former professional football player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly for the Denver Broncos. A placekicker is a player who kicks the ball to score points, either by kicking field goals or extra points.
The Denver Broncos picked Jason Elam in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft. He played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons. Elam was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times. He also won two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos. For a long time, he held the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, at 63 yards. This record was later broken by Matt Prater in 2013 (64 yards) and then by Justin Tucker in 2021 (66 yards).
Contents
Early Life and High School
Jason Elam grew up in Snellville, Georgia. He went to Brookwood High School. There, he played football, swam, and ran track. In football, he was recognized as a top player in his county and state.
College Football Career
From 1988 to 1992, Jason Elam was the placekicker for the University of Hawaii at Mānoa football team. He scored 397 points, which was one of the highest totals in NCAA history at the time. He also kicked 79 field goals, tying for the second-most ever. Elam was the all-time leading scorer in the Western Athletic Conference until 2010. He was chosen as an All-WAC player three times. He still holds Hawaii's records for most career field goals and best field goal percentage. Jason studied communications at the University of Hawaii.
Professional Football Career
Playing for the Denver Broncos
The Broncos chose Jason Elam in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft. He was the 70th player picked overall.
Jason Elam holds several NFL records. He has the best percentage for extra point conversions (.995). He also had the most consecutive seasons (15) where he scored at least 100 points. He was the fastest player to reach 300 successful field goals, and also the fastest to reach 1,600 and 1,700 points. Elam was the first NFL player to score at least 200 points against three different teams: the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs. He is tied with other players for the most overtime field goals, with nine. In 2009, he was named to the Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team.
Key Seasons with the Broncos
In 1994, his rookie year, Elam scored 119 points. He made 26 field goals, which was one of the highest totals in team history. He was good at kicking long field goals, making four kicks from over 50 yards.
In 1995, Elam had a great season, scoring 132 points. He made 31 field goals and all 39 of his extra point attempts. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors. He set a team record by making five field goals in one game against the Buffalo Bills. He also kicked a 56-yard field goal, which was his longest at the time.
In 1997, Elam scored 124 points. He made 26 field goals and all 46 extra point attempts. In Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers, he kicked a 51-yard field goal. This was the second-longest field goal in Super Bowl history at that time. He also kicked a game-winning 33-yard field goal in overtime against Buffalo.
In 1998, Elam was chosen for his second Pro Bowl. He had his best season for field goal accuracy, making 23 out of 27 attempts (85.2%). He also made all 58 of his extra point attempts. On October 25, 1998, Elam kicked a 63-yard field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This tied the NFL record for the longest field goal, which had been set 28 years earlier by Tom Dempsey. His cleats from that game are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Elam also helped the Broncos win Super Bowl XXXIII, earning his second Super Bowl ring.
In 1999, Elam made 29 field goals and all 29 extra points. He was very good at kicking long field goals, making five kicks from 50 yards or more. He kicked a 53-yard field goal with only seven seconds left against the Oakland Raiders to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Broncos then won the game. This was one of his many game-winning or game-saving kicks.
In 2001, Elam was voted to his third Pro Bowl. He was also named the NFL Special Teams Player of the Year. He led the NFL in field goals, making a team-record 31. He also extended his NFL record for consecutive extra points to 344. He reached 1,000 career points, becoming only the 30th NFL player to do so.
In 2002, Elam scored 120 points, marking his 10th straight season with over 100 points. He tied his career high by making five field goals in one game against the Miami Dolphins, including a 55-yard kick. He also kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime against Kansas City.
In 2003, Elam scored 120 points again. He became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 1,200 points (in 157 games). He also became the first player in NFL history to score more than 100 points in each of his first 11 seasons. He kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to win a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2004, Elam made 29 field goals and all 42 extra points, scoring 129 points. He reached his 300th career field goal, becoming the fastest kicker in NFL history to do so. He also kicked a game-winning field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2005, Elam scored 115 points. He became the fastest player in league history to reach 1,500 points, doing it in just 197 games. He kicked a 41-yard field goal with five seconds left to win the home opener against San Diego. This was his 18th game-winning field goal.
In 2006, Elam had his 14th season with the Broncos. He made 27 out of 29 field goals (93.1%), setting a new team record for accuracy. He also made all 34 extra points. He became the first kicker in NFL history to score at least 100 points in each of his first 14 seasons. He kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime to win the home opener against Kansas City.
In 2007, his last season with the Broncos, Elam scored 114 points. He kicked three game-winning field goals on the last play of games. He also kicked one as time expired to send a game into overtime. He became the fastest player to reach 1,700 points (in 224 games). He moved into sixth place all-time in points scored in the NFL.
While with the Broncos, Jason Elam reached seventh place on the NFL's all-time points scored list. He had 24 game-winning or game-saving field goals during his time with the team.
Playing for the Atlanta Falcons
On March 21, 2008, the Atlanta Falcons signed Jason Elam to a four-year contract. In his first game with the Falcons against the Detroit Lions, he made both of his field goal attempts.
In Week 6 of 2008, against the Chicago Bears, Elam made five out of six field goal attempts. With only one second left in the game, he kicked a 48-yard field goal to win the game for the Falcons. He scored 16 points in that game, which tied his career high.
In 2009, Elam played 11 games for the Falcons. He was waived (released) by the team on December 1, 2009.
Retirement from Football
On March 30, 2010, Jason Elam signed a special one-day contract with the Denver Broncos. This allowed him to officially retire as a Bronco, which was important to him.
Career Statistics
| Regular season statistics | ||||||||||||||||
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| Season | Team (record) | G | FGM | FGA | % | <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | LNG | BLK | XPM | XPA | % | PTS |
| 1993 | DEN (9–7) | 16 | 26 | 35 | 74.3 | 0–0 | 11–12 | 7–7 | 4–10 | 4–6 | 54 | 0 | 41 | 42 | 97.6 | 119 |
| 1994 | DEN (7–9) | 16 | 30 | 37 | 81.1 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 11–11 | 7–12 | 1–3 | 54 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 100.0 | 119 |
| 1995 | DEN (8–8) | 16 | 31 | 38 | 81.6 | 0–0 | 7–9 | 14–15 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 56 | 0 | 39 | 39 | 100.0 | 132 |
| 1996 | DEN (13–3) | 16 | 21 | 28 | 75.0 | 2–2 | 8–8 | 4–5 | 6–10 | 1–3 | 51 | 0 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 109 |
| 1997 | DEN (12–4) | 15 | 26 | 36 | 72.2 | 0–0 | 10–11 | 10–12 | 3–8 | 3–5 | 53 | 2 | 46 | 46 | 100.0 | 124 |
| 1998 | DEN (14–2) | 16 | 23 | 27 | 85.2 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 13–14 | 4–6 | 3–4 | 63 | 1 | 58 | 58 | 100.0 | 127 |
| 1999 | DEN (6–10) | 16 | 29 | 36 | 80.6 | 1–1 | 8–8 | 7–8 | 8–11 | 5–8 | 55 | 1 | 29 | 29 | 100.0 | 116 |
| 2000 | DEN (11–5) | 13 | 18 | 24 | 75.0 | 0–0 | 7–7 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 1–1 | 51 | 0 | 49 | 49 | 100.0 | 103 |
| 2001 | DEN (8–8) | 16 | 31 | 36 | 86.1 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 8–8 | 10–13 | 2–4 | 50 | 1 | 31 | 31 | 100.0 | 124 |
| 2002 | DEN (9–7) | 16 | 26 | 36 | 72.2 | 1–1 | 9–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 4–6 | 55 | 1 | 42 | 43 | 97.7 | 120 |
| 2003 | DEN (10–6) | 16 | 27 | 31 | 87.1 | 0–0 | 10–11 | 6–6 | 9–11 | 2–3 | 51 | 0 | 39 | 39 | 100.0 | 120 |
| 2004 | DEN (10–6) | 16 | 29 | 34 | 85.3 | 0–0 | 10–10 | 7–8 | 9–12 | 3–4 | 52 | 1 | 42 | 42 | 100.0 | 129 |
| 2005 | DEN (13–3) | 16 | 24 | 32 | 75.0 | 0–0 | 9–10 | 5–5 | 9–13 | 1–4 | 51 | 1 | 43 | 44 | 97.7 | 115 |
| 2006 | DEN (9–7) | 16 | 27 | 29 | 93.1 | 0–0 | 10–10 | 10–10 | 6–8 | 1–1 | 51 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 100.0 | 115 |
| 2007 | DEN (7–9) | 16 | 27 | 31 | 87.1 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 6–6 | 9–12 | 1–2 | 50 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 100.0 | 114 |
| 2008 | ATL (11–5) | 16 | 29 | 31 | 93.5 | 0–0 | 11–11 | 7–8 | 10–10 | 1–2 | 50 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 100.0 | 129 |
| 2009 | ATL (9–7) | 11 | 12 | 19 | 63.2 | 0–0 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 3–5 | 1–2 | 50 | 0 | 32 | 33 | 97.0 | 68 |
| Career (17 seasons) | 263 | 436 | 540 | 80.7 | 4–4 | 150–156 | 132–147 | 111–168 | 39–65 | 63 | 8 | 675 | 679 | 99.4 | 1,983 | |
- Broncos Team Records
As of 2017, Jason Elam held at least 8 records for the Denver Broncos, including:
- Most career extra points (601)
- Most extra points in a single game (5, tied with Connor Barth)
- Most extra points in playoffs (39)
- Most extra points in a playoff season (15 in 1997)
- Most extra points in a playoff game (5)
- Most career field goals (395)
- Most field goals in a season (31, tied in 1995 and 2001)
- Most field goals in playoffs (15)
Personal Life
Jason Elam is married to Tammy, who used to be a Broncos cheerleader. They have six children: four sons named Jason Jr., Joshua Matthew Jackson Asher, and Jude Dawson, and two daughters named Jordan Noel and Julianna Grace.
Books Written by Jason Elam
In January 2008, Jason Elam published his first book, called Monday Night Jihad. He wrote it with Steve Yohn, who is a pastor. The book is an action-adventure story about football and a plan to stop a terrorist plot.
Jason Elam explained that the idea for Monday Night Jihad came from stories he had told his brother over the years. He wanted to combine these football stories with a thrilling adventure.
In December 2008, Elam and Yohn released "Blown Coverage," which was the second book in their "Riley Covington Thriller" series. The third book, "Blackout," came out in December 2009. The series finished with "Inside Threat," released in June 2011.
Other Media Appearances
In 2012, Jason and his wife were on an episode of the TV show Buying Alaska. They bought an island home in Sitka, Alaska, where they planned to live with their family.
