Martin Gramatica

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Full Name: Martin Gramatica Primary Position: K Height/Weight: 5' 8"/170 College: Kansas State University Birthdate: High School: La Bella (FL) Birthplace: Pro Experience: 7 years

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[edit] Biography

Martin Gramatica, born November 27, 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. After going to high school at La Bella (FL). Gramatica did not play football until senior year after growing up playing soccer in Argentina. He hit 8 out of 10 field goals (longest 52 yds), 22 PATs, and sent 38 of 49 kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks. Gramatica attended Kansas State University.

In college, he attended Kansas State University where he made 54 out of 70 field goals and 187-192 PATs gaining a school record of 349 points in four seasons. He also set the single-season school record with 135 points. This earned him the nickname "Automatica". In 1996 he was granted a medical redshirt. Gramatica was a first-team All-America choice by the Associated Press both his junior and senior years and received the Lou Groza Award in 1998. Notably, he was 3-3 on field goals from 50+ yards his junior year, and as a senior kicked a phenomenal 65-yarder against Northern Illinois – the longest field goal in college and professional football history kicked without a tee. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in social science in May 1999. Also of note was his characteristic jumping in celebration after every successful field goal, however he stopped this after his brother Bill tore his ACL while playing for the Arizona and celebrating in a similar manner after kicking a field goal.

Gramatica was selected in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made his professional debut in the NFL in 1999 He played witht he Buccaneers for five seasons. He was the starter for the NFC Pro Bowl team in 2001. In 2002 he won Super Bowl XXXVIII with Tampa Bay, becoming the first Argentinian-American in history to do so. Gramatica was respected in the NFL as one of the best kickers in the game, but in 2003 he had a noticeable drop in accuracy with field goals of 40 yards or longer, a trend that continued in 2004 until he was ultimately released by the Buccaneers.

He was quickly signed by the Indianapolis Colts in December 2004 and was used exclusively for kickoffs. Gramatica later revealed in an interview in September 2005 with news-press.com that he believed the reason for his struggles was because of torn muscles in his lower abductor and lower abdomen, which he had surgically repaired during the offseason. However, his rehabilitation was not completed until after the season started, and did not sign with a team for the 2005 season.

On April 6, 2006 he signed a contract with the New England Patriots as a replacement for the departing Adam Vinatieri but was released on August 23, in favor of rookie Stephen Gostkowski. On September 22, he signed with the Colts to back up Adam Vinatieri and was released on October 4, but re-signed on four days later, and yet again subsequently released. He was then signed by the Dallas Cowboys on November 27, when they released Mike Vanderjagt.

On December 3, in his debut with the Dallas Cowboys, Gramatica kicked the game-winning field goal from 46-yards out against the New York Giants, leaving 00:01 on the clock and the Dallas team celebrating on the sideline. Gramatica recently signed a two-year extension with the Cowboys. After being placed on injured reserve for the 2007 season on September 2, 2007[1], he was released on September 25.

On December 12, 2007 Gramatica was signed by the New Orleans Saints after kicker Olindo Mare was injured. Shortly after returning to the game, on December 23rd, he matched his last personal long field goal of 55 yards just before halftime in a pivotal game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Active Career highlights and awards include 2 timw First-team AP All-American (1997-1998) Lou Groza Award (1998) Second-team AP All-Pro (2000) Pro Bowl selection (2000) and Super Bowl champion (XXXVII)

Most people believe that 2002 was Martin Gramatica's best year, as he made 32 field goals.

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He has two younger brothers, Bill Gramática, who kicked for the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins; and Santiago Gramática who kicked in the Arena Football League.

Martín actively supports the efforts of Football Americano Argentina, a starting league in his home country.

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