Nick Folk

Nicholas Alexander Folk (born November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona.

Folk was selected to be the NFC kicker in the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2007.

Early years
Folk played high school football at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, and was named an "All-CIF" player.

College career
Folk played college football at the University of Arizona. The longest field goal of his college career, 52-yards, came in 2005 against USC. During his senior year at Arizona, Folk took over the punting duties in addition to his kicking duties. Folk would be recognized for his efforts as he earned All-Pac-10 honors.

Dallas Cowboys
Folk was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. Folk made the longest kick of his career to that point, a 53-yard game winner against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football during his rookie season. That season, he became the first Cowboys rookie Pro Bowl kicker, after being selected to serve as the NFC's kicker during the 2008 Pro Bowl, having gone 26-31 in field goal attempts and making all 53 extra points he attempted during the season. Folk also broke the Cowboys single-season record for most points by a placekicker (131) during his rookie season.

In 2008, Folk continued his strong performance as he made 91% of his kicks and once again made all of his extra point attempts. Following the 2008 season, Folk discovered an issue with his hip that the Cowboys medical personnel identified as an issue with his flexor, but the prescribed treatment did not resolve the matter. After conducting more tests, it was discovered that Folk had a torn labrum and underwent surgery in May 2009. The proper recovery time would have had Folk returning sometime at the beginning of training camp but Folk rushed his rehab and as a result his hip did not heal properly. Consequently, Folk struggled as he entered his third season with the Cowboys in 2009. His kicks were erratic, evidenced by the fact that he only made 64.3% of his field goals, going 18-28. On December 19, 2009, Folk attempted a 23 yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints that would have increased the Cowboys lead to ten and ensure their victory. However, Folk missed the kick, requiring Dallas' defense to thwart the Saints offense once again. Although the Cowboys won the game, the team lost faith in Folk and waived him on December 21, 2009.

New York Jets
On February 23, 2010, Folk signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets. Head coach Rex Ryan mocked Folk's early performances during the team's offseason workouts however after working out with special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff, who helped refine Folk's kicking technique after allowing his hip to fully recover, Folk began to gain consistency once again.

On October 11, 2010, Folk became the first Jets kicker to kick five field goals in a home game since Pat Leahy achieved the feat in 1984. Folk set a franchise record for the longest kick, making a career long kick of 56 yards against the Denver Broncos on October 17, 2010.

As time expired, Folk kicked the game winning field goal against the Indianapolis Colts in the Jets wildcard match-up on January 8, 2011. On Sunday Night Football, during the opening weekend of the 2011-12 season, Folk kicked a 50-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to give the Jets a 27-24 victory over his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.

On March 14, 2012, Folk was re-signed by the Jets.

Personal
Folk was born to Anton and Kathryn Folk. His father Tony, who was born in Austria to Bavarian parents, works as an accountant while his mother is a pediatrician. Folk is a direct descendant from the Mayflower as William Bradford was his "mother's umpteenth-great grandfather." Folk is also a dual citizen of the United States and Germany, where his father grew up before immigrating to the United States.

Folk has two younger brothers Erik and Gregory. Erik is currently the placekicker for the University of Washington Huskies Football team. Greg was a standout soccer player for UCLA and has spent time playing with Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. Folk's cousin, Blake Robinson, was diagnosed with NF when he was only eighteen months old. Folk partnered with the Children’s Tumor Foundation to support the research of NF.

Folk majored in marketing at Arizona.

Folk is an avid soccer fan. He has attended New York Red Bulls games and is a member of the Viking Army Supporters Club.