Bradley Alan Maynard (born February 9, 1974) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

punter in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Ball State Cardinals The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot. The Ball State Univer ...

, twice earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. Maynard was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft, and was also a member of the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

and the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Early life

Maynard was born in

Tipton, Indiana Tipton is a city in and the county seat of Tipton County, Indiana, United States. The population was estimated to be 5,275 as of July 1, 2021. Tipton is approximately 19 miles southeast of Kokomo, Indiana and approximately 42 miles north of Indi ...

. He attended Sheridan High School in

Hamilton County, Indiana Hamilton County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States census recorded a population of 347,467. The county seat is Noblesville. Hamilton County is part of the Indianapolis- Carmel- Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statist ...

, where he played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

for the Blackhawks.

College career

Maynard attended Ball State University, where he played for the

Ball State Cardinals football The Ball State Cardinals football team is a college football program representing Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football. Ball State plays its home ga ...

team. He averaged 44.2 yards per kick, ranking third in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

history. He amassed over 10,700 yards on 242 punts. Maynard was named onto the consensus

selection and All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

first-team pick. He won MAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year and MVP following his senior campaign. He majored in business while playing for the Cardinals. He was described as quiet, humble, and hard working during his collegiate years. Maynard was inducted into Ball State's Athletic Hall of Fame on February 8, 2008. On May 30, 2013, Maynard was inducted to the MAC Hall of Fame.

Professional career

New York Giants

The New York Giants selected Maynard in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft, which made him one of the highest drafted punters in the modern era of football. He was a member of the 2000 New York Giants, who played the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2000 Baltimore Ravens season, Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2000 New York Giants season, New York Giant ...

. Maynard set an NFL record for most punts in a single Super Bowl as the Giants lost 34–7.

Chicago Bears

After the 2000 season ended, Maynard became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

and signed with the Chicago Bears. Robbie Gould kicking

Maynard is known for his occasional trick plays. On rare occasions, he may pass in order to convert a first down. His most notable trick play came in 2001, when he threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to

Brian Urlacher Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, earning co ...

on a fake field goal en route to a 20–15 victory over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, which secured the Bears the NFC's second playoff seed. He also threw passes on fake punts during two Bears' season finales in 2005 and 2006. His career passing stats are 4–7 with two touchdowns. In January 2007, he was voted the sexiest member of the Chicago Bears. Along with

Patrick Mannelly Patrick Mannelly (born April 18, 1975) is an American former professional football long snapper who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils and was selected by Chica ...

, kicker Robbie Gould claims Maynard to be one of the Bears' unsung heroes. On July 25, 2011, the Bears released Maynard. Maynard was replaced with former

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

punter Adam Podlesh.

Houston Texans

On August 2, 2011, the Houston Texans signed Maynard to a 1-year deal. He was released on September 3, and replaced by the rookie Brett Hartmann after originally keeping Maynard and cutting Hartmann.

Cleveland Browns

On September 13, 2011, the Cleveland Browns signed Maynard to a one-year contract to replace the injured

Richmond McGee Richmond McGee (born April 25, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football Punter (American football), punter. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a street free agent in 2008. He played college football at Texas L ...

. Following the season, he was not re-signed.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

He and his wife, Karen, have two sons, Conner and Cole, and a daughter, Ava. While on the Bears, every Monday during football season he was featured on "Maynard Monday" with Eric and Kathy on 101.9 the Mix in Chicago where he discusses the previous Bears game. His wife was also featured on the segment after a bye week.

References

External links

Official NFL player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard, Brad 1974 births Living people All-American college football players American football punters Ball State Cardinals football players Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen New York Giants players People from Tipton, Indiana Players of American football from Indiana Sportspeople from Hamilton County, Indiana