Bruce Gossett

Daniel Bruce Gossett (November 9, 1941 - January 27, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1974 with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

Early life Gossett was born on November 9, 1941, in Cecil or Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He was on the high school football team, at fullback, and played on the basketball team as well. He also participated in junior league soccer.

College After graduating high school, Gossett attended Clarion State Teachers College (now PennWest Clarion), where he was a quarterback and punter.

He received a scholarship to Richmond University (now University of Richmond) solely as a kicker, where he was a field goal kicker and a punter. He was primarily a punter at Richmond, kicking only two field goals during his time there; though he kicked a game-winning field goal in his first Richmond game.

During his NFL career, he participated in football camps at Ferrum, teaching kicking to boys from 10 to 18 years old.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams After going undrafted in the 1964 NFL draft, Gossett was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent in 1964. Despite his historic rookie season, the Rams would win just 5 games and ultimately not qualify for the playoffs.

1965 In his second year with the Rams, Gossett made 15 of 26 field goal attempts, as well as 30 of 32 extra point attempts.

1966 In 1966, Gossett would make just 28 of 49 field-goal attempts, though he also made all 29 of his extra-point attempts. He led the NFL in field goals attempted and field goals made. Despite this, Gossett was the league's leader in scoring for the season with 113 points. Gossett was ultimately nominated to participate in the Pro Bowl for his performance during the season.

1967 In 1967, Gossett made 20 of 43 field goal attempts, and made all 48 of his extra-point attempts, again scoring over 100 points for the season. Due to their loss, they would appear in the Playoff Bowl, where Gossett would successfully make 3 field goals and 3 extra-point attempts as the Rams beat Cleveland 30–6. Gossett would ultimately be nominated to play in the 1968 Pro Bowl, marking his second (and last) nomination for the Pro Bowl.

1968 In 1968, Gossett made 17 of 31 field goal attempts, and made all 37 of his extra-point attempts. In only five years with the Rams, he had become the team's second all-time leading scorer, and set the team record for total field goals (98). As a result, they would move on to the Playoff Bowl, where they shutout the Dallas Cowboys 31–0.

When he left the Rams after 1969, he was the all-time leader in field goals (120), and is still (as of 2025) fourth on the list of most field goals for the Rams.

San Francisco 49ers In January 1970, Gossett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers by the Rams for Kermit Alexander and a second round draft pick.

1970 In his first season with the 49ers, Gossett made 21 of 31 field-goal attempts, as well as 39 of his 41 extra-point attempts, marking his first season not successfully converting all of his extra-point attempts since 1965. Gossett would make one field goal and both extra-point attempts in the victory. In the NFC Championship Game, Gossett would put up a field goal and an extra point as the 49ers would fall 10–17 to the Dallas Cowboys.

1971 In 1971, Gossett would make 23 of 36 field-goal attempts, as well as all 32 of his extra-point attempts. In the NFC Championship game, in a rematch against the Dallas Cowboys, Gossett would put up the team's only points, making one field goal in the 3–14 loss.

1972 In 1972, Gossett would make 18 of 29 field-goal attempts, as well as 41 of 42 extra-point attempts. Despite initially leading 28–13, Roger Staubach came off the bench to rally the Cowboys who would put up 17 unanswered points and ultimately win the matchup 30–28. Gossett would put up 4 extra points in the loss, but crucially missed both field-goal attempts in the loss.

1973 In 1973, Gossett would have his best season in field goal percentage, putting up a career high 26 of 33 field-goal attempts made, as well as all 26 extra-point attempts. He had a 54-yard field goal, which was the longest in the NFL that year, and his 78.8 field goal percentage also led the league. He served as an NFL player representative in 1973 and 1974.

1974 In 1974, Gossett's final season, he would make just 11 of 24 field-goal attempts, as well as 25 of his 27 field-goal attempts.

Gossett's nickname was "The Boomer".

Honors Gossett was named first-team All-Conference by The Sporting News in 1964, 1966 and 1973, and was named first-team All-Conference by Pro Football Weekly in 1973.

Legacy Following the end of the 1974 season, Gossett would retire from playing in the NFL. In his career, he scored 1,031 points, and was 7th on the NFL's all-time scoring list when he retired. Alongside Gino Cappelletti and George Blanda, Gossett was one of just three players with six seasons of 100 points scored in pro football history.

As of 2026, he is 70th all-time in scoring. He is 58th all-time in extra points made (as of 2026). He had never missed a game during his career, having played 154 consecutive contests. He also had perfect accuracy on extra-point attempts in six seasons. Bold Career high

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life During his playing career, Gossett worked for Moody Funds in the off-season.