On April 9th, 1987, Graham Clark Gano was born in Arbroath, Scotland.
He kicks extra points for the NFL team the Carolina Panthers. Gano attended J. M. Tate High School, Home of the Mighty Mighty Aggies, and was a two-sport star in football and track there. He grew up in Cantonment, Florida, which is close to Pensacola, Florida.
He was named to USA Today’s All-American First Team for high school football, and Rivals.com ranked him as the third-best kicker in the country.
In the CaliFlorida All-Star game, Gano participated and made a 50-yard field goal. In his senior year, Gano made three field goals of over 55 yards (of 57, 64, and 65 yards) and had one attempt of 71 yards blocked by a foul.
In total, 36 of his 38 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, and as a senior, he averaged more than 42 yards per punt. In the sprinting events, Gano excelled as a prominent track and field athlete for the state.
At the 2005 FHSAA 3A District 1, he won three state track championships, taking first place in the 100-meter dash in 10.55 seconds, the 200-meter dash in 21.70 seconds, and the 400-meter dash in 58.90 seconds.
From 2005 through 2008, Gano was a kicker and punter for the Florida State Seminoles while a student at Florida State University. Gano won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in the country during his senior year (2008), finishing first in the FBS for field goals made, percentage of field goals converted, and successful 50-yard field goals.
In the 2008 season, he was one of just two college kickers to convert more than 90% of his field goal tries. He was the American kicker with the fourth-highest scoring average in the FBS.
He was a first team All-American for CBS Sports, Scout.com, and Rivals.com. Gano was named as a second team All-American by Walter Camp, the Associated Press, Sporting News, SI.com, and Phil Steele. He was also named to the All-ACC First Team.
For his kicking performances against NC State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Maryland, Gano was named ACC Specialist of the Week four times. His contributions to Florida State’s triumphs over NC State and Clemson earned him two Lou Groza Star of the Week awards.
The Florida State coaching staff chose him as the Seminoles’ offensive special teams player of the year. He averaged a career-high 2.2 field goals per game, which was the most in the ACC. Gano has the highest field goal percentage in the ACC; in 2008, he led the conference in field goals made with 24 and made 92.3 percent of his field goal attempts (24 of 26).
He averaged 9.5 points per game and led the ACC in scoring with 105 points. In a season, Gano is the only kicker in FSU history to make more than 90% of his field goals. When he was selected the Most Valuable Player in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl, he became one of just two punters in history to receive this honor.
Gano was acquired by the Carolina Panthers on November 20, 2012, taking Justin Medlock’s place. Under the direction of head coach Ron Rivera, he participated in the final six games of the campaign and made nine of his eleven field goal tries.
He made 24 of 27 field goal attempts and all 42 extra point tries in the 2013 season. On February 28, 2014, it was revealed that Gano had agreed to a new $12.4 million four-year deal with the Panthers.
He made 29 of 35 field goal tries and all 34 extra point attempts. On November 2, 2015, Gano beat the Indianapolis Colts with a game-winning 52-yard field goal he made in overtime. The Panthers’ 7-0 start was aided by the successful field goal, which was a franchise high.
Gano signed with the New York Giants on August 19, 2020. On November 15, 2020, Gano signed a three-year, $14 million contract extension through 2023.
How Good Is Graham Gano?
On October 3, 2021, Gano missed a 35-yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints, snapping a 37-game streak in which he had made the most straight field goals, tying Jason Myers for fourth place in NFL history.
Due to his three successful field goals against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, Gano was named the NFC’s special teams player of the week.
He was named to USA Today’s All-American First Team for high school football, and Rivals.com ranked him as the third-best kicker in the country.
Is Graham Gano a Hall of Famer?
Graham Gano, a kicker for the New York Giants, will enter the Florida State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Graham was supposed to be inducted in the 2021 class, but since COVID-19 forced a postponement, the veteran kicker will instead be honored in 2022.