Sebastian Janikowski facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sebastian Janikowski

Janikowski with the Oakland Raiders in 2012
No. 11
Position:	Placekicker
Personal information
Born:	(1978-03-02) March 2, 1978 (age 47) Wałbrzych, Poland
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:	Seabreeze (Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.)
College:	Florida State (1997–1999)
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2000) Seattle Seahawks (2018)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Pro (2011) Pro Bowl (2011) BCS national champion (1999) 2× Lou Groza Award (1998, 1999) Unanimous All-American (1999) Consensus All-American (1998) 2× First-team All-ACC (1998, 1999) Second-team All-ACC (1997)
Career NFL statistics
Field goals made: 436 Field goals attempted: 542 Field goal percentage: 80.4% Longest field goal: 63 Points scored: 1,913
Player stats at PFR

Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (born March 2, 1978) is a former professional American football player from Poland. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Most of his career was with the Oakland Raiders. For his final season, he played for the Seattle Seahawks.

Janikowski is one of only five kickers ever picked in the first round of an NFL draft. He is the Raiders' all-time leading scorer. He also played more games for the Raiders than any other player. He once tied the NFL record for the longest successful field goal at 63 yards. This kick is still the fourth-longest in league history.

Growing Up in Poland and the U.S.

Sebastian Janikowski was born on March 2, 1978, in Wałbrzych, Poland. He was the only child of Henryk and Halina Janikowski. His father was a professional soccer player. Henryk moved to the United States in the early 1980s to try and restart his soccer career.

Years after his father moved, Janikowski's parents divorced. His father then married an American citizen. Sebastian stayed in Poland with his mother. He started to become very good at soccer. When he was 15, he even earned a spot on the Polish under-17 team.

Because his father married an American, Janikowski could legally move to the United States. He knew very little English at first. But he learned quickly by taking a three-week night class and watching television.

Playing Soccer in Florida

Janikowski played only five games for the Orangewood Christian soccer team. Still, he helped them reach the Class A State Championship game. He scored 15 goals, but they lost the final game.

He then lived in Orlando, Florida with his father and stepmother. Janikowski joined the Orlando Lions, an under-19 soccer club. Their coach, Angelo Rossi, was also the soccer coach at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach. Rossi convinced Janikowski's father that Sebastian would do better at Seabreeze. His father agreed, and Janikowski moved in with Rossi's family.

Switching to Football

During his senior year at Seabreeze, Janikowski played both soccer and football. The school's football coach asked him to join the team. As the team's placekicker, he quickly became famous. He kicked four field goals from over 50 yards away. One of these was a 60-yard kick, which was the third-best in Florida high school history. During one practice, he even kicked an 82-yard field goal!

USA Today named Janikowski to its 1996 All-American team. Many top college football programs wanted him. Janikowski decided to go to Florida State University.

College Football Career

Janikowski went to Florida State University. He played for coach Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles football team. Coach Bowden later wondered how many national championships they might have won if they had Janikowski every year.

In three seasons, Janikowski scored a total of 324 points. This is the third-highest score in the school's history. In 1999, he won the Lou Groza Award for the second year in a row. This award goes to the best college kicker in the nation. Janikowski is the only player to win this award twice in a row.

Fans loved him because he could often kick a kickoff through the goalposts. This happened so much that the stadium screens would show field goal graphics, even though it was just a kickoff.

Becoming "Seabass"

Janikowski was first called "Seabass" while playing for FSU. Wide receiver Peter Warrick started calling him that. He said the name Sebastian was too long.

In the 1999 season, FSU was trying to win another national title. Before the team's national championship game, the 2000 Sugar Bowl, Janikowski decided to enter the 2000 NFL Draft. He said his main reason for leaving college early was to help his mother come to the United States. In his last game for FSU, Janikowski made 5 extra points and a 32-yard field goal. This helped the Seminoles win their second national championship.

Professional NFL Career

Oakland Raiders Years

The Oakland Raiders chose Janikowski in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the 17th player picked overall.

Janikowski playing for the Raiders in November 2008

Janikowski with punter Shane Lechler in 2007

Janikowski's professional career started a bit slowly. In 2000, he only made 68.8% of his field goal tries. But he made all 46 of his extra point attempts as a rookie. His accuracy got much better in 2001, when he made 82.1% of his field goals.

In 2002, Janikowski and the Raiders reached Super Bowl XXXVII. He kicked an early field goal in the first quarter. This briefly gave the Raiders a 3–0 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Raiders lost the game 48–21.

On October 16, 2003, Janikowski tied an NFL record. He made 4 field goals in just one quarter.

After the 2004 season, Janikowski signed a five-year contract extension. It was reportedly worth $10.5 million. This made him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history at that time. In February 2010, he extended his contract again for $16 million over four years. This included $9 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid placekicker once more.

Record-Breaking Kicks

On November 4, 2007, Janikowski tried to kick a 64-yard field goal. This would have broken the NFL record of 63 yards. But the ball hit the right goalpost and bounced out.

On September 28, 2008, he attempted a 76-yard field goal. This was against the San Diego Chargers in strong wind. It is thought to be the longest field goal attempt in NFL history.

On October 19, 2008, Janikowski broke his own Raiders team record. He made a 57-yard field goal in overtime to beat the New York Jets 16–13. This was the longest overtime field goal in NFL history. On December 27, 2009, he broke his team record again. He kicked a 61-yard field goal against the Cleveland Browns.

On December 26, 2010, Janikowski made a 59-yard field goal. This made him only the second player with two field goals of 59+ yards. On January 3, 2010, he reached his 1,000th career point.

On September 12, 2011, Janikowski made a 63-yard field goal. This tied the NFL record set by Tom Dempsey in 1970. Other kickers like Jason Elam and David Akers also tied this record. Later, Matt Prater and Justin Tucker broke it.

On November 27, 2011, he made 6 field goals in one game against the Chicago Bears. This broke the team record for most field goals in a single game. He tried a record-breaking 65-yard field goal on December 18, 2011. But it was blocked by Ndamukong Suh at the end of the game.

In 2011, Janikowski was invited to the 2012 Pro Bowl. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors.

In August 2013, Janikowski signed another four-year contract extension. It was for $19 million over five years, with $8 million guaranteed.

Before the 2017 season, he took a pay cut. His salary went from $4.05 million to $3 million, but it was fully guaranteed. On September 9, 2017, he was put on injured reserve because of back problems. The Raiders then signed Giorgio Tavecchio to kick in his place. On February 14, 2018, it was announced that the Raiders would not re-sign Janikowski.

Seattle Seahawks Season

On April 13, 2018, Janikowski signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He became the Seahawks' starting kicker. In Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, Janikowski made all three extra points and three field goals. This included a 31-yard game-winning kick. The Seahawks won 30–27. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his great performance. Janikowski finished the 2018 season making 48 of 51 extra point attempts and 22 of 27 field goal attempts.

On January 5, 2019, Janikowski missed a 57-yard field goal in a playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. He also hurt his hamstring on that kick. The rookie punter, Michael Dickson, had to take over kicking duties.

Retirement from Football

On April 28, 2019, Janikowski announced he was retiring. He played for 19 years in the NFL. He ended his career as the Raiders' all-time leading scorer, with 1,799 points.

NFL Career Statistics

NFL Records Held by Janikowski

• Longest field goal in overtime: 57 yards (against the New York Jets on October 19, 2008)
• Most field goals in one quarter: 4 (tied with others)
• Most field goals attempted from 60+ yards in a career: 8
• Most extra points in a Pro Bowl: 8
• Longest field goal attempt: 76 yards (against the San Diego Chargers on September 28, 2008)