Rigoberto Jovany Sanchez (born September 8, 1994) is an American 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 for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

of 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 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and was signed by the Colts as an

undrafted 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 ...

in 2017.

Early life

Sanchez attended and 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 ...

at Hamilton Union High School in Hamilton City, California.

College career

Sanchez initially played football for Butte College in Oroville, California, located roughly 30 miles southeast of Hamilton City before transferring to the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. While at Hawaii, Sanchez played on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. During the 2015 season, he punted 74 times for 3,335 net yards for a 45.1 average. He handled placekicking duties and converted 23 of 24

extra point Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

attempts and 8 of 11 field goal attempts. In 2016, he punted 70 times for 3,122 net yards for a 44.6 average. He converted 49 of 50 extra point attempts and all 13 field goal attempts.

College statistics

Professional career

Sanchez was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2017. He won the Colts' starting punter job as a rookie after beating out veteran Jeff Locke. On September 10, 2017, Sanchez made his NFL debut in the season opener against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

. In the 46–9 loss, he punted six times for 302 total yards for a 50.30 average. Overall, in his rookie season, he totaled 84 punts for 3,764 net yards for a 44.81 average. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In the 2018 season, he had 57 punts for 2,629 net yards for a 46.12 average. In the 2019 season, he had 59 punts for 2,619 net yards for a 44.39 average. On June 4, 2019, Sanchez signed a four-year, $11.6 million contract extension with the Colts through the 2023 season. In the 2019 season, he had 59 punts with a 44.39 average. In the 2020 season, he had 42 punts for a 46.19 average. In Week 4 of the 2021 season, Sanchez averaged 50 yards per punt on four punts, including two inside the 20, in a 27–17 win over the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, earning

American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...

(AFC)

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 Week. In Week 7 of the 2021 season, Sanchez kicked the longest punt of his career, and in Colts history, 79 yards, in a 30–18 win over the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance. He had 59 punts for a 44.53 average in the 2021 season. On August 31, 2022, Sanchez was placed on season-ending injured reserve after suffering a torn Achilles. In the 2023 season, he punted 68 times for 3,281 total yards for a 48.25 average. On March 12, 2024, the Colts signed Sanchez to a three-year contract extension. In Week 6, Sanchez punted five times, three inside the 20-yard line and two inside the 10-yard line in a 20-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Personal life

Sanchez grew up playing soccer before joining his high school's football team. He is of Mexican descent. Rigoberto met his wife, Cynthia, when they attended junior college together. Cynthia grew up in the nearby community of Corning, CA. After receiving blessings from her family, he proposed to her at the Circle of Lights at Monument Circle in downtown

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

on December 26, 2017. They were married the following spring. On November 30, 2020, it was announced he would undergo surgery the next day to have a cancerous tumor removed. The surgery was reported as successful and he returned to practice two weeks later.

References

External links

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors bioIndianapolis Colts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Rigoberto 1994 births Living people American football punters American sportspeople of Mexican descent Butte Roadrunners football players Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players Indianapolis Colts players People from Glenn County, California Players of American football from Chico, California Hispanic and Latino American players of American football