Steven Thomas "Steve" Weatherford (born December 17, 1982) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

punter. He played college football at

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

and was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

in 2006. Weatherford has been a member of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

, New York Jets, and

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

. He won

Super Bowl XLVI Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

over the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

as a member of the Giants.

Early years

Weatherford attended Terre Haute North Vigo High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he played football, soccer, track and basketball, earning a total of thirteen

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s. He played football as a punter, kicker and

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

. As a punter and place kicker, he set records for the most field goals in a career, longest punting average and longest field goal made (55 yards vs.

Lawrence North High School Lawrence North High School is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The school was founded in 1976 and graduated its first class in 1978. Lawrence North is one of two high schools in the Metropolitan School District of Law ...

). He averaged 45.4 yards per punt and held a 4.26 second hangtime average. As a kicker, Weatherford made 37 of 40

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

attempts and connected on seven field goals from 40 yards or longer. He was named to the All-Conference team and earned All-State honors as a kicker twice consecutively. As a safety, Weatherford managed two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He was an All-County forward in soccer. Also a standout

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete, Weatherford was a three-time All-State and All-conference selection for the 300-meter hurdles. He set a Junior Olympics record in the 4 × 800 m

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated swit ...

. He was also a finalist in the pentathlon at the Junior Olympics and owns the school record for the

300-meter hurdles The 300 metres hurdles (also spelled 300 meters hurdles in American English) is an athletics or track and field event. It is a cut-down version of the International event the 400 metres hurdles. It is a standard event under the NFHS in American hig ...

with a time of 39.01 seconds.

College career

Entering the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

in 2001, Weatherford

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

ed his freshman year. He was named the starter in 2002, averaging 39.7 yards on 23 punts. He was also a member of the men's track team. In 2003, Weatherford was an Honorable Mention All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...

selection. Weatherford averaged 44.5 yards on 43 punts, breaking the school record held by Dike Eddleman since 1948 (43.0 yards per punt). This placed Weatherford at second in the Big Ten and 12th in the nation in punting average. He was also named the school's

Special Teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

player of the Year. In

, Weatherford was one of the Illini's most versatile athletes, competing in the long jump, high jump, 60m hurdles, shot put and heptathlon. He placed sixth in the

heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hep ...

at the Big Ten Championships with 4,956 points, which is good for second on the Illini's career list in the event. He finished fifth in the long jump at the Illinois Invitational. He had a season-best high jump of 1.95 meters (6'04.75") at the Carle/Health Alliance Classic. In 2004, Weatherford earned First-team All-Big Ten honors from the Coaches and Second-team honors from the media. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

'' named him the Most Underrated Player in the Big Ten. He finished second in the Big Ten in punting average, again, and fourth nationally. Weatherford averaged 45.4 yards per punt on 57 attempts, breaking the record he set the previous season. He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. He also scored a touchdown on a fake field goal against Northwestern on November 20, 2004. In

, Weatherford placed sixth in the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄθ ...

at the Drake Relays with 6,242 points. He took fourth in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

at the TSU Relays with a career-best leap of 6.85 meters (22'5.75"). He posted the second highest

score in school history with 5,181 points to finish fifth at the Big Ten Championships. He had season-best efforts in the 60 meters (7.32s) and the

60m hurdles 60 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling which is generally run in indoor competitions. It is equivalent with the first 5 hurdles of a standard outdoor hurdle race. The current women's and men's world records are 7.68 seconds (Susanna Ka ...

(8.38s) at the EIU Friday Night Special. He finished fifth in the high jump at the Carle/Health Alliance Invitational with a leap of 1.97 meters (6'05.50"). He was fifth in the long jump at the Illinois Invitational with an effort of 6.70 meters (21'11.75"). In his senior season in 2005, Weatherford punted 64 times for a per punt average of 42.8 yards. Weatherford finished his collegiate career as the school's all-time leader in career punting average, with a career average of 43.6 yards per punt. In

, he placed 3rd in the heptathlon at the 2005 Big Ten Indoor T&F Championships, setting a school record with 5,365 points.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Weatherford was signed as an

on April 20, 2006, by New Orleans. Weatherford was released by New Orleans on September 2 only to be re-signed on September 5, 2006. Weatherford played in all 16 games for the New Orleans Saints, punting 77 times for an average of 43.8 yards per punt, which ranked 15th in the NFL. He had a season-long of 59 yards, and 19 of his punts were inside the 20-yard line. Weatherford also recorded two solo tackles and a 15-yard rush for a first down. On October 20, 2008, he was released by the Saints.

Kansas City Chiefs

Weatherford was claimed off waivers by the

on October 22, 2008. The Chiefs then put him on waivers on November 4.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Weatherford was signed by the

on November 25 after Adam Podlesh went on injured reserve. He competed with Podlesh for a spot on the Jaguars' roster for 2009 but was eventually cut by the team on September 5, 2009.

New York Jets

Weatherford was signed by the New York Jets on September 7, 2009, and was the team's punter for the 2009 season. However, he was unable to play in the Jets' first playoff game due to problems with an

irregular heartbeat Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...

. After the game, Weatherford explained that he had undergone surgery during college to correct a genetic heart condition that caused his heart to race, and that during his professional career the problem had not recurred until this game. Weatherford said he was taking medication to control the condition, was cleared to play in the Jets' next game, and would have minor heart surgery to address the problem after the season. In March 2010 Weatherford underwent

cardiac ablation Catheter ablation is a procedure used to remove or terminate a faulty electrical pathway from sections of the heart of those who are prone to developing cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and Wolff-Parkinson-White syn ...

at Morristown Memorial Hospital in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.2010 season, Weatherford tied the record for most punts inside the 20-yard line in a single season with 42.

New York Giants

Weatherford signed with the

on July 29, 2011. For the 2011 regular season, Weatherford recorded a punt average of 45.7 yards with a net punt average of 39.2 (both career highs). Weatherford has been noted for his physique and strength, uncommon for a special teams player. He was featured in the December 2011 issue of ''

Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How ...

'', where his "maniacal" workout routine was described. He is reportedly able to squat 475 pounds and bench press almost 400 pounds, and teammates call him the "strongest player pound-for-pound" on the team. Weatherford was the second player to enter the postseason with both New York teams. He also got his first Super Bowl title after the Giants defeated the

by a score of 21–17 in

. Weatherford averaged 40.8 yards per punt, and provided the Giants with integral field position, which led to a safety after an intentional grounding penalty by

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...

. After the 2011 season, the Giants used the franchise tag on Weatherford while they negotiated a longer contract. On March 16, 2012, Weatherford signed a five-year contract with the Giants worth $12.75 million. On September 4, 2015, the Giants released Weatherford, in part due to his contract.

New York Jets (second stint)

On October 24, 2015, Weatherford re-signed with the Jets after starting punter Ryan Quigley was added to the injury report with a right shin injury prior to their Week 7 matchup against the

. The Jets called Weatherford while he was broadcasting his mid-day radio show. On October 28, 2015, Weatherford was released from the Jets when Quigley was ready to return after suffering a leg infection. Weatherford played just one game in his second stint with the organization and was paid $51,176 for filling in.

Outside football

Broadcasting career

In June 2013, Weatherford graduated from the seventh annual NFL Broadcast Boot Camp in Mt. Laurel, NJ, and has since held positions as substitute sports broadcaster on Good Day New York, ESPN SportsNation, NFL AM, and SI Now. During the 2013 season, Weatherford had a regular slot on WFAN radio on Monday nights. In addition to his broadcasting roles, Weatherford has appeared on television, in sports magazines, and newspapers on topics including sports, health and fitness, family, fashion, and philanthropy. In September 2015, Weatherford was recognized as the seventh most popular NFL Player on social media.

Philanthropy

Weatherford has established several charities in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he was born and raised, including Rush the Punter and Kicks for Kids. In 2013, Weatherford was named Health and Fitness Ambassador of the Boys and Girls Club in New Jersey, serving as a role model, mentor, and fitness and nutrition coach to more than 80,000 kids throughout New Jersey. In the same year, Weatherford was also named "head coach" for Wellness in the Schools, leading the charge and acting as spokesperson for that organization’s recess fitness program for more than 77,000 students throughout the NY metro area. He also serves as spokesperson for Second Chance Toys, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and The Steve Weatherford Charity for Ghana, in addition to the charitable work he participates in on behalf of the New York Giants. In 2013, Weatherford was recognized for his outstanding community service by the NY Giants organization with the Wellington Mara Award.

Personal life

He and his wife, Laura, have six children. They reside in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the ...

References

External links

*
New York Giants bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weatherford, Steve 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Terre Haute, Indiana Players of American football from Indiana American football punters Illinois Fighting Illini football players New Orleans Saints players Kansas City Chiefs players Jacksonville Jaguars players New York Jets players New York Giants players People from Crown Point, Indiana