John Kasay

John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969 in Athens, Georgia) is an American football player in the NFL currently the placekicker for the Carolina Panthers.

High school years
Kasay attended Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia, where he was a soccer stand-out and football kicker/punter He was an all-state selection with 37 career field goals, including a 54-yarder.

College and pro career
Kasay graduated from the University of Georgia in 1991, and was drafted in the 4th round in 1991 by the Seattle Seahawks. During his tenure, he led the Seahawks in scoring all four years, and left the team with the highest field goal percentage in team history. The Panthers signed him as a free agent prior to the team's debut in the 1995 NFL season, and as of the beginning of the 2010 NFL season he is the only remaining "original Panther" from that 1995 team. To put that into perspective, there are only two kickers who currently play for the same team they played for in 1995: Kasay and Jason Hanson (Detroit).

Super Bowl XXXVIII was bittersweet for Kasay. Although he converted a 50-yard field goal and made both extra points, his final kickoff went out of bounds, incurring an illegal procedure penalty that placed the ball on the 40. This assisted the New England Patriots on their drive for the winning field goal.

Awards and Records
Kasay formerly held the record for most field goals in a single season with 37, which he achieved during the 1996 NFL Season, and he was awarded his only Pro Bowl appearance as a result. His record was broken three years later, however, by Olindo Mare, who booted 39 field goals. That record was later broken by Neil Rackers, who made 42 field goals in 2005.

Kasay holds virtually every Panther kicking record, and is also the all-time points leader of the Panthers, a record which is unlikely to be eclipsed anytime soon.

Kasay also holds many NFL records as a placekicker. He is tied for second all-time for field goals made from 50+ yards, behind only Jason Hanson (42). and is the only person to complete four field goals from 46+ yards in a single game.

Kasay hit his 400th field goal on December 6, 2009 in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is only the 7th player in NFL history to accomplish that. Kasey is the only remaining player from the inaugural season for the Panthers