Mason Crosby
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218677214
2008-06-11T18:16:02Z
Alakazam
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{{Infobox NFLactive
|currentteam=Green Bay Packers
|currentnumber=2
|currentposition=Placekicker
|image=MasonCrosbyFG-Edit.jpg
|caption=Mason Crosby during the 2007 season.
|birthdate={{birth date and age|1984|9|3}}
|birthplace=Lubbock, Texas
|country=
|heightft=6
|heightin=1
|weight=212
|debutyear=2007
|debutteam=Green Bay Packers
|highlights=<nowiki></nowiki>
* NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November 2007.
* Lead the NFL in total points with 141 in his rookie 2007 season.
* Holds Packers franchise record for most points scored (no touchdowns) in a single season (141).
|college=[[University of Colorado at Boulder|Colorado]]
|draftyear=2007
|draftround=6
|draftpick=193
|pastteams=<nowiki></nowiki>
* [[Green Bay Packers]] (2007-present)
|statweek=17
|statseason=2007
|statlabel1=[[Field Goal|Field Goals Made]]
|statvalue1=31
|statlabel2=[[Field Goal|Field Goals Attempted]]
|statvalue2=39
|statlabel3=[[Field Goal|Field Goals %]]
|statvalue3=79.5
|nfl=CRO369933
}}
'''Mason Walker Crosby''' (born [[September 3]], [[1984]] in [[Lubbock, Texas]]), is a [[Professional sports|professional]] [[American football]] [[placekicker]] for the [[Green Bay Packers]] in the [[National Football League]]. During his playing days at the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]], Crosby was widely considered the best kicker in [[college football]], as evidenced by [[ESPN]] draft expert [[Mel Kiper Jr.]]'s Top 5 Seniors by position in 2006. Crosby was a unanimous selection as a First Team [[College Football All-America Team|All American]] by the [[Associated Press]], the [[Football Writers Association of America]], ''[[The Sporting News]]'', and [[Walter Camp Football Foundation]] for the [[2005 NCAA Division I-A football season]]. He was the runner-up for the [[Lou Groza Award]], despite being heavily favored to win.<ref name="cubuffs">{{cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf5/25780.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600&KEY=&SPID=255&SPSID=16159 | title=2005 Colorado Football - Game 13 - Clemson | publisher=University of Colorado | accessdate=2006-10-21}}</ref>
==College career==
[[Image:Masoncrosby.jpg|thumb|left|thumb|Crosby kicking a field goal in the 2006 spring game.]]
[[Image:Crosby after 2005 CU Spring Game.jpg|left|thumb|Crosby talking to the press.]]
During his senior season at Colorado, Mason Crosby became the first player in [[Big 12 Conference]] history to be named player of the week eight times.<ref name="CSTV">{{cite web | url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/weekly-release.pdf?SPSID=4583&SPID=190&DB_OEM_ID=300 | title=Big 12 Conference Records | publisher=CSTV | accessdate=2006-10-21}}</ref> In late 2006, he also became Colorado's all-time leading scorer, with 308 career points. The previous record holder was [[Eric Bieniemy]] (1987-1990) with 254.
While enrolled at Colorado, Crosby displayed extraordinary leg strength, making a school record 60-yard [[Field goal (football)|field goal]] against [[Iowa State Cyclones football|Iowa State]] in 2004. Crosby’s 58-yard field goal against [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami]] in 2005 was the longest ever kicked in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I|Division I-A]] football at sea-level without a tee.<ref name="CU Bio">{{cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3845&SPID=255&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=23105&Q_SEASON=2006 | title=CU Player Bios}}</ref> In all, Crosby holds 31 school records. Throughout his Colorado career, Crosby retained his accuracy, connecting on 66 of 88 field goals in total, and 30 of 34 inside 40-yards.<ref name="cubuffs">{{cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf5/25780.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600&KEY=&SPID=255&SPSID=16159 | title=2005 Colorado Football - Game 13 - Clemson | publisher=University of Colorado | accessdate=2006-10-21}}</ref>
During college, Crosby developed a reputation for kicking in the [[Clutch (sports)|clutch]], making 12 of 13 field goals in the fourth quarter, and a perfect 10-10 in the final 8 1/2 minutes of games. This bent was most evident when Crosby played rival [[Colorado State University]], against which Crosby made kicks of 55 (2004), 48, and 47 yards (2005) in consecutive years to win the [[Rocky Mountain Showdown]].
Crosby also served as the [[Colorado Buffaloes|Buffs]]' [[kickoff specialist]], where his knack for forcing [[touchback]]s after [[touchdown]]s made him a fan favorite. Overall, 138 of Crosby's 203 career kickoffs were touchbacks, including an 87-yard kickoff touchback from the 20-yard-line against Iowa State in 2004.<ref name="cubuffs">{{cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/pdf5/25780.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600&KEY=&SPID=255&SPSID=16159 | title=2005 Colorado Football - Game 13 - Clemson | publisher=University of Colorado | accessdate=2006-10-21}}</ref>
{{-}}
===Statistics===
{| class="wikitable"
! !!colspan="5"| Kickoffs !!colspan="11"| Scoring / Field Goals
|-
!Season !! Total !! Touch Backs !! Inside 20 !! Over End Zone !! Opponent Avg. Start!! PAT !! 10-19 !! 20-29 !! 30-39 !! 40-49 !! 50-59 !! 60+ !! FG-FGA !! Pct. !! Long !! Points
|-
| 2003 || 37 || 26 || 2 || 17 || 23 || 31-37 || 0-0 || 4-4 || 0-0 || 3-4 || 0-1 || 0-0 || 7- 9 || 77.8 || 44 || 52
|-
| 2004 || 59 || 41 || 6 || 26 || 21 || 28-30 || 1-1 || 5-5 || 5-5 || 3-5 || 4-6 || 1-1 || 19-23 || 82.6 || 60 || 85
|-
| 2005 || 61 || 43 || 4 || 33 || 22 || 31-31 || 0-0 || 3-4 || 5-6 || 8-11 || 5-7 || 0-0 || 21-28 || 75.0 || 58 || 94
|-
| 2006 || 46 || 28 || 8 || 12 || 22 || 11-11 || 0-0 || 5-6 || 7-8 || 5-5 || 2-6 || 0-3 || 19-28 || 67.9 || 56 || 76
|-
! TOTALS || 203 || 138 || 20 || 88 || 22 || 100-108 || 1-1 || 17-19 || 17-19 || 19-25 || 11-20 || 1-4 || 66-88 || 75.0 || 60 || 308
|}
''Note'': Average Starting Yardline: Onsides, short squibs and free kicks are omitted in figuring the above - out-of-bounds are not.
===Collegiate Awards===
*2005
**Walter Camp [[2005 College Football All-America Team|All-American]]<ref name="2006Awards" />
**[[Lou Groza Award]] runner-up
*2006
**Walter Camp [[2006 College Football All-America Team|All-American]]<ref name="2006Awards">{{ cite web | url=http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=717156 | title=Crosby Named Walter Camp All-American | publisher=CUBuffs.com | author=David Plati | language=English | format=HTML | date=2006-12-07 | accessdate=2006-12-08}}</ref>
**All-Big 12 Conference<ref name="2006Awards" />
==Professional career==
===Green Bay Packers===
Mason Crosby was chosen by the [[Green Bay Packers]] with the 19th pick of the sixth round (193rd overall) of the [[2007 NFL Draft]], the last of three consecutive picks for the Packers, and the third kicker overall. Crosby entered [[National Football League Training Camp|training camp]] in a battle with incumbent [[Dave Rayner]] for the right to boot the ball for the Packers. During Green Bay's first pre-season game against the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], Crosby kicked a 52-yard field goal, the longest field goal in the history of [[Heinz Field]], which is traditionally considered an extremely difficult place to kick. When the Packers made their final roster cut, it was revealed that Crosby beat out Rayner for the starting job.
In his first regular season game, Crosby converted all three field goals he attempted, including a 53-yarder and a 42-yard kick with two seconds left on the clock to help the Packers defeat the visiting [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. The kick was the first game-winner by a rookie on Kickoff Weekend since 1979 (when [[Matt Bahr]] achieved the same feat). Crosby is the first player in NFL history to kick a 50-yard field goal and a game-winning field goal with under a minute remaining in his NFL debut.<ref name="Onlykicker">{{cite web | url = http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/264614 | title = Packers: Consistent Crosby keeps on course | publisher = Madison.com | accessdate = 2007-12-29}}</ref> Crosby was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (the first rookie kicker to receive this honor on opening weekend).<ref name="Week1">{{cite web | title = AFC/NFC Players of the Week
| url=http://www.cincyjungle.com/story/2007/9/12/191850/883
| accessdate = 2007-09-13 }}</ref>
Crosby was awarded the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November 2007. He led all NFL kickers with 54 points during the month and tied for the lead with 12 field goals as the Packers posted a 4-1 mark. Crosby converted 12 of 15 field goals during November and was a perfect 18-for-18 on PATs. The sixth-round pick (No. 193) had at least one field goal in every game, including four in the Week 9 win at [[Kansas City Chiefs|Kansas City]]. His longest field goal of the month was a 52-yarder in the Week 13 contest at [[Dallas Cowboys|Dallas]].<ref name="PlayerofMonth2007">{{cite web | title=Mason Crosby Named NFC Special Teams Player Of The Month | url=http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2007/12/06/4/ | accessdate = 2007-12-09 }}</ref> For the [[2007 NFL Season|2007 season]], Crosby leads the NFL with 130 points scored and his 24 field goals rank first in the NFC. Crosby is currently 14 points away from setting the NFL record for most points scored in a season by a rookie ([[Kevin Butler (American football)|Kevin Butler]] had 144 points for [[Chicago Bears|Chicago]] in 1985).
Crosby was voted the [[Diet Pepsi]] NFL Rookie of the Week for games played on December 13 - 17. Crosby went four-for-four in field goals, including a long 50-yard field goal and 46-yard and 44-yard kicks, and three-for-three in extra points in the Packers' 33 - 14 win over the [[St. Louis Rams]].<ref name="masonrookie">{{cite web | url = http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2007/12/21/2/ | title = Mason Crosby Voted NFL Rookie Of The Week | publisher = Packers.com | accessdate = 2007-12-23}}</ref>
Crosby finished the season leading the NFL with 141 points, the highest-scoring season by a kicker in franchise history and third-highest season point total by any Packers player.<ref name="highestscoring">{{cite web | last= Jenkins | first=Chris | url = http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20071230/ca_pr_on_fo/nfl_det_gb_4 | title = Green Bay Packers prepare for playoffs with 34-13 victory over Lions | publisher = THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | accessdate = 2008-01-01}}</ref>
==Professional Awards==
*2007
**NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1)<ref name="2007Awards">{{Cite web | title = Kicker Crosby earns NFC weekly honor and had the most points in the NFL his rookie season.
| url=http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070912/PKR01/70912133/1989
| accessdate = 2007-09-13}}</ref>
**NFC Special Teams Player of the Month (November)<ref name="PlayerofMonthNov2007">{{cite web | title = Mason Crosby Named NFC Special Teams Player Of The Month | url=http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2007/12/06/4/ | accessdate = 2007-12-09 }}</ref>
==Personal Information==
Mason Crosby graduated in December 2006 from the University of Colorado, majoring in [[Communication studies|communication]]. He attended [[Georgetown, Texas|Georgetown High School]] in [[Texas]]. He is a [[Houston Astros]] fan and an avid [[golf]]er.
==Related Pages==
*[[University of Colorado at Boulder]]
*[[Colorado Buffaloes]]
*[[Colorado Buffaloes football]]
*[[2005 Colorado Buffaloes football team]]
*[[2006 Colorado Buffaloes football team]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{CurrentNFLKickers}}
{{Packers2007DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosby, Mason}}
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Lubbock, Texas]]
[[Category:American football placekickers]]
[[Category:Colorado Buffaloes football players]]
[[Category:Green Bay Packers players]]