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 Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He mostly played for the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos picked him in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft. He played 15 seasons with the Broncos. Then he played two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Jason Elam was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times. He won two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos. He once held the record for the longest field goal in NFL history. It was 63 yards long. This record was later broken by other players.
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Early Life & High School Football
Jason Elam went to Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia. He was a talented athlete. He played football, swam, and ran track. In football, he was a top player in his county. He was also a second-team all-state player.
College Career at Hawaii
From 1988 to 1992, Elam was the placekicker for the University of Hawaii at Mānoa football team. He scored a lot of points, ranking third in NCAA history. He also tied for second in field goals made.
Elam held the record for the all-time leading scorer in the Western Athletic Conference until 2010. He was chosen as an All-WAC player three times. He is Hawaii's all-time leader in field goals made and field goal percentage. He studied communications at the University of Hawaii.
Professional Football Career
Playing for the Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos picked Jason Elam in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft. He was the 70th player chosen overall.
Elam set many NFL records. He has the best extra point success rate (.995). He also had the most seasons in a row (15) with at least 100 points. He was the fastest player to reach 300 successful field goals. He was also the fastest to score 1,600 and 1,700 points.
He was the first NFL player to score at least 200 points against three different teams. These teams were the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs. Elam is tied for the most overtime field goals, with nine. In 2009, he was named to the Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team.
Key Moments with the Broncos
In 1995, Elam had a great season. He scored 132 points and made 31 field goals. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. He also made a 56-yard field goal, which was one of the longest in Broncos history. He kicked a game-winning field goal with 48 seconds left against the Oakland Raiders.
In 1997, Elam helped the Broncos win Super Bowl XXXII. He made a 51-yard field goal in the game. This was the second-longest field goal in Super Bowl history at the time. He also kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime against Buffalo.
In 1998, Elam was chosen for his second Pro Bowl. He had his best season, making 85.2% of his field goals. On October 25, 1998, he kicked a 63-yard field goal. This tied the NFL record for the longest field goal ever. His cleats from that game are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also helped the Broncos win Super Bowl XXXIII, earning his second Super Bowl ring.
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 with 31, which tied a Broncos record. He also set an NFL record for consecutive extra points, making 344 in a row.
By 2007, his last season with the Broncos, Elam had scored in every game of his career. This was the second-longest streak in NFL history. He also kicked three game-winning field goals in his final season. He became the first player since 1990 to do this.
Playing for the Atlanta Falcons
On March 21, 2008, the Atlanta Falcons signed Elam. He continued his streak of successful field goals.
In Week 6 of 2008, against the Chicago Bears, Elam made five field goals. The Falcons were down by one point with only 11 seconds left. After a big pass play, Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal with one second left. This won the game for the Falcons! This game tied his career-high for field goals made and points scored in a single game.
In 2009, Elam was waived by the Falcons on December 1.
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.
Career Regular Season Statistics
Career high/best bolded
| 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 | |
- Franchise Records
As of 2017, Jason Elam held at least 8 Broncos team records, including:
- Extra Points: career (601), in a single game (5), in playoffs (39), in a playoff season (15), in a playoff game (5)
- Field Goals: career (395), in a season (31), in playoffs (15)
Personal Life
Jason Elam is married to Tammy, who used to be a Broncos cheerleader. They have four sons named Jason Jr., Joshua Matthew Jackson Asher, and Jude Dawson. They also have two daughters, Jordan Noel and Julianna Grace.
Books Written by Jason Elam
In January 2008, Elam released his first book, Monday Night Jihad. He wrote it with Steve Yohn, a pastor. The book is an action-adventure story about football and stopping a terrorist plot.
Elam said he wanted to combine his funny football stories with a thrilling terrorist element. He hoped to show why people with strong beliefs do what they do.
Later, Elam and Yohn released more books in the "Riley Covington Thriller" series. These include "Blown Coverage" (2008), "Blackout" (2009), and "Inside Threat" (2011).
Other Media Appearances
In 2012, Jason and his wife were on a TV show called Buying Alaska. They bought an island home in Sitka, Alaska, where they planned to live with their family.
