Garrett Hartley

Garrett Hartley (born May 16, 1986) is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Oklahoma. He held the NFL record for most consecutive successful field goals to start a career, with 16 straight (2008-2009) until December 23 2012 when his record was broken by Kai Forbath of the Washington Redskins.

Early years
Hartley prepped at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, where he was coached by former North Texas coach Todd Dodge. He set a state record with 90 PAT's in 2002 (surpassed by Carroll Dragon, Kevin Ortega, in 2004 and then another Carroll Dragon, Cade Foster, in 2009). Coming out of Carroll, Hartley was rated as the 2nd best placekicker in the country, by Rivals.com.

College career
Hartley began his college career at Oklahoma in 2004. He spent most of his first season redshirted, but after inconsistent play from Trey Dicarlo, head coach Bob Stoops decided to pull Hartley's redshirt and start him. He only played in three games during his abbreviated first season and finished 1-for-1 on field goals and 12-for-12 on extra points with his only field goal coming in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game. Hartley struggled during his sophomore year, missing eight of his 22 field goal attempts despite making two field goals from beyond the 50-yard line. Although he was more consistent with extra points, missing only one in 38 attempts.

Hartley broke out during his junior season going 19-for-20 in field goals and 49-for-50 in extra points. Hartley's .950 field goal percentage was among the highest during the season and earned him a nomination for the Lou Groza Award which goes to the nation's best placekicker. Hartley's only miss of the season came during a controversial loss to Oregon when a 44-yard kick was blocked after Hartley had already successfully made four field goals. Hartley's senior season did not quite match the level of performance of the year before. He finished going 13-for-15 in field goals and 71-for-77 in extra points.

Denver Broncos
Hartley was not drafted during the 2008 NFL draft but he signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos. However, he was released on July 21 just before the start of training camp.

New Orleans Saints
Hartley was signed by the New Orleans Saints on October 29, 2008 to replace Taylor Mehlhaff, who was released. He played in his first game on November 9, 2008 against the Atlanta Falcons. Hartley came out strong, booting 13 for 13 field goal attempts for the 2008 season. He was expected to be the Saints starting kicker for the 2009 season. However, Hartley was given a 4-game suspension after testing positive for a banned stimulant, Adderall.

Hartley remained inactive (while longtime Saints kicker John Carney handled the kicking duties) until the Saints' twelfth game of the season, against the Washington Redskins. Hartley then kicked four field goals, including the game winning kick in overtime that allowed the Saints to preserve their undefeated record. He missed the first field goal of his professional career in this game, from 58 yards. He held the NFL record for most consecutive field goals made to start a career, with 16 until the record was broken in 2012 by Kai Forbath of the Washington Redskins. On January 24, 2010 he made a 40-yard field goal in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game to send the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl. He continued in Super Bowl XLIV, going 3-for-3 with field goals of 46, 44, and 47 yards. He became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to convert three field goals of 40 yards or more.

The 2010 season began erratically for Hartley. He missed 2 field goal attempts in the Saints' Week 1 home win over Minnesota, then made 3 kicks despite windy conditions in a Week 2 win at San Francisco. In a Week 3 match with Atlanta, he made a last-second field goal to send the game into overtime, but then missed a 29 yard field goal attempt in overtime that would have won the game. In response, the Saints re-signed John Carney, and Hartley was inactive for the next 2 games. With injuries mounting at other positions, however, the Saints decided not to continue carrying 2 kickers, cutting Carney and returning Hartley to his starting position. He has since signed a contract extension that will make him the highest paid kicker in the game.