Brett Conway

Brett Alan Conway (born March 8, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for seven seasons with various teams in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft. Conway played college football at Penn State, where his 276 career points rank him second all-time, and his 119 consecutive extra points are a school record.

Early life

Conway attended Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. He was a lifelong soccer player who took up placekicking his sophomore year. He assumed kicking duties at Parkview as a junior, converting 8 of 12 field goals and a perfect 12 for 12 on extra points earning All-Gwinnett County honors. That season, he kicked a 55-yard field goal.

As a senior, Conway earned Parade All-American honors in 1992 and tied a county record with 11 field goals.

He kicked five field goals greater that 50 yards during his high school career, including a 58-yarder against Cedar Shoals his senior year which was then one yard short of the state record.

College career

Conway chose Penn State over other major programs including Tennessee, Georgia, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Florida.

In 1993, Conway primarily handled kickoffs as a true freshman, and served as a reserve placekicker to starter Craig Fayak. Conway kicked a 28-yard field goal and three extra points in a 70-7 victory over Maryland for his first collegiate points.

In 1994, Conway emerged as Penn State’s primary kicker after the graduation of Fayak. He made 10 of 12 field goals and 62 of 63 extra-point attempts, scoring 92 points, one of the highest single-season totals by a kicker in school history.

During 1995, Conway continued as the team’s starting kicker, converting 16 of 24 field goals and a perfect 37 of 37 extra points. while remaining perfect on extra points at 39 for 39, totaling 93 points,

Professional career

Conway was considered the top placekicker going into the 1997 NFL Draft. At the NFL Combine, Conway converted 12 of 15 field goals.

Green Bay Packers & New York Jets (1997-1998)

Conway was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 3rd round of the Draft (90th pick overall) with the anticipation of him replacing the Packers' former stalwart kicker, Chris Jacke. However, Conway injured his quadriceps in the process of correcting a kicking mechanics issue after missing three field goals in an exhibition game against the New England Patriots. The Packers instead went with undrafted free agent Ryan Longwell, when Conway was unable to play.

Longwell and Conway then competed for the starting role for the 1998 season, with Conway getting subsequently traded to the New York Jets.

Washington Redskins (1998–1999)

Conway’s most significant tenure came with the Washington Redskins, where he handled both field goals and extra points over multiple seasons. In 1998, his first year on the active roster, he appeared in six games as a kickoff specialist.

In 1999, Conway played in all 16 games, making 22 of 32 field goals (68.8%) with a long of 51 yards and converted 49 of 50 extra points for 115 points.

With the Oakland Raiders, he played one game, connecting on his lone field goal and all three extra points for 6 points. Shortly thereafter he joined the New York Jets making two field goals on two attempts and both extra points for 8 points.

With the Browns over three games, he made 5 of 7 field goals (71.4%) and all 3 extra points for 18 points. He was released in favor of Morten Andersen prior to the regular season.

Career Summary

Across his NFL career of 51 games, Conway finished with 69 field goals made on 91 attempts (75.8%) and 92 extra points made on 93 attempts for 299 total points.

Life after football

Conway is married and resides in the Chicago area.