Sergio Albert (born October 28, 1951) is a Mexican 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 ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Sp ...

who played one season with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

. He played college football at U.S. International University.

Early years

Albert attended high school in

Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. He first enrolled at

Universidad Anáhuac México Norte Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

for 2 years, before accepting a soccer scholarship from the U.S. International University in 1972. In the fall of 1972, he would walk on to the football team after a tryout as a soccer-style

. Because he was primarily a soccer player, he appeared in only 3 football games that season. In 1973, he appeared in 10 games but had few kicking opportunities, although he made a 54-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

Professional career

Albert was selected by the

in the eighth round (189th overall) of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

. He is distinguished as being the third

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

born player to be drafted into the

(

Tom Fears Thomas Jesse Fears (December 3, 1922 – January 4, 2000) was a Mexican Americans, Mexican-American professional American football, football player who was a split end for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL), playing nine ...

and Efren Herrera were the first ones). The

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

tried to sign him 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 1973, but the league did not allow the transaction. He became a part of the team, after the Cardinals made the unusual move of keeping 2 kickers on the roster, while also choosing him over fellow rookie and ex-soccer player

Pat Leahy Patrick Leahy (born 1940) is an American politician, who served as a United States Senator from Vermont. Patrick Leahy may also refer to: * Patrick Leahy (bishop) (1806–1875), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel * Patrick Leahy (Australian politi ...

. He was a

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (mag ...

specialist and a backup to Jim Bakken, until being waived on August 13, 1975. On August 13, 1975, he was claimed off waivers by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

, but was released 5 days later. On April 22, 1976, he was signed by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. During preseason, he participated in the first ever NFL game to be played outside of the United States and that was held in Japan. He was waived on September 6. On April 7, 1977, he was signed as a

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 ...

by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. He was cut on June 8. In June 1977, he signed with 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

and was released on August 9.

Personal life

His brother Carlos Albert is a former professional soccer player for the Necaxa Club of the Mexican soccer league.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert, Sergio Living people 1951 births Sportspeople from Mexico City American football placekickers Mexican players of American football United States International Gulls football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Chicago Bears players San Diego Chargers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New York Giants players Mexican expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate players of American football