Michael Koenen
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Koenen is an American football
punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
of the National Football League
. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons
as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
at Western Washington.
, basketball
, and soccer. In football, he won All-Northwest League honors as a senior.
for Western Washington University
in Bellingham, Washington
, and is one of only three NFL players in history to have played football for that school. While there, he received numerous Division II All-America
n honors from sources such as Street & Smith, Lindy's Football Annuals, Don Hanen's Football Gazette, Daktronics, Inc., and D2football.com, as well as being recognized by the NCAA
. He was also named a Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(GNAC) all-star four times as a placekicker and twice as a punter. He ended his college career as the Western Washington University, GNAC, and Northwest small college all-time leader in kicking scoring with 272 points, including 43 field goal
s and 143 PATs. He participated in the 2005 Cactus Bowl
.
contract with the Atlanta Falcons
on April 26, 2005. He went on to edge out veteran punter Toby Gowin
, who had also signed a free agent deal that offseason, for the starting job with the Falcons. He appeared in all sixteen regular season games for the Falcons, punting 78 times for 3,300 yards, which was good for a 42.3 yards per punt average and ninth in the NFC
. He also served as the team's kickoff specialist and was seventh in the NFC in yards per kickoff. His 14 touchback
s put him behind only Pro Bowl
er Neil Rackers
.
In the Falcons' October 9, 2005 game against the New England Patriots
, they had the ball on New England's 41 yard line with six seconds remaining in the first half. Since regular placekicker Todd Peterson's range was insufficient to attempt a field goal from that distance, Falcons head coach
Jim Mora
turned to Koenen. Koenen actually attempted the kick, the first field goal attempt in his pro career, twice. Prior to the initial snap, Patriots linebacker
Mike Vrabel
called a timeout. Koenen heard the referee's whistle but still kicked the field goal. It landed right of the goalpost. A few moments later, Koenen attempted the kick again, and this time made an official 58 yard field goal. It was the longest field goal of Koenen's career at any level, tied for the ninth longest in NFL
history (as well as the single longest in the 2005 season
), and was the third longest in history by an undrafted kicker.
In the Falcons' first preseason game of 2006, Koenen made four field goals, from 53, 50, 40, and 45 yards, along with doing the punting and kickoff duties. Koenen was slated to do the placekicking, punting, and kickoffs for the Falcons, something that is rarely done in the NFL by one player; however after he converted only two of eight field goal attempts, Morten Andersen
was brought in to take over field goal duties leaving Koenen to focus on punts and kickoffs for the Falcons.
Koenen returned solely as the Falcons' punter; the club signed Billy Cundiff
to handle the other kicking duties. Cundiff was released before the season; Matt Prater
was signed but also released after a short while, and the placekicking was again done by Andersen.
A restricted free agent
in the 2008 offseason, Koenen was tendered a one-year, $1.417 million contract by the Falcons. He re-signed on April 14.
A free agent in the 2009 offseason, the Falcons placed the franchise tag
on Koenen on February 9. He signed the one-year, $2.48 million tender offer on February 13.
to a six-year, $19.5-million contract on July 29, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Western Washington.
Early years
Koenen attended Ferndale High School in Ferndale, Washington, and was a letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and soccer. In football, he won All-Northwest League honors as a senior.
College career
Koenen played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
in Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, and is one of only three NFL players in history to have played football for that school. While there, he received numerous Division II All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n honors from sources such as Street & Smith, Lindy's Football Annuals, Don Hanen's Football Gazette, Daktronics, Inc., and D2football.com, as well as being recognized by the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. He was also named a Great Northwest Athletic Conference
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which has historically operated in the Northwestern United States, but also currently includes four schools in areas not usually considered part of that region—two in Alaska , one in eastern Montana The Great Northwest...
(GNAC) all-star four times as a placekicker and twice as a punter. He ended his college career as the Western Washington University, GNAC, and Northwest small college all-time leader in kicking scoring with 272 points, including 43 field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
s and 143 PATs. He participated in the 2005 Cactus Bowl
Cactus Bowl
The Cactus Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played each January in Kingsville, Texas which showcases the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II...
.
Atlanta Falcons
Koenen signed a two-year free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
contract with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 26, 2005. He went on to edge out veteran punter Toby Gowin
Toby Gowin
Toby Lee Gowin is an American football punter in the National Football League. He is currently a free agent. He played college football at the University of North Texas.-High school career:...
, who had also signed a free agent deal that offseason, for the starting job with the Falcons. He appeared in all sixteen regular season games for the Falcons, punting 78 times for 3,300 yards, which was good for a 42.3 yards per punt average and ninth in the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
. He also served as the team's kickoff specialist and was seventh in the NFC in yards per kickoff. His 14 touchback
Touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead behind or above a goal line and the team who is attacking that goal line is responsible for the ball being there. Responsibility is determined by which team gave the ball the impetus...
s put him behind only Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er Neil Rackers
Neil Rackers
Neil William Rackers is an American football placekicker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
.
In the Falcons' October 9, 2005 game against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, they had the ball on New England's 41 yard line with six seconds remaining in the first half. Since regular placekicker Todd Peterson's range was insufficient to attempt a field goal from that distance, Falcons head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Jim Mora
Jim L. Mora
James Lawrence "Jim" Mora is an American former NCAA defensive back and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for the NFL Network....
turned to Koenen. Koenen actually attempted the kick, the first field goal attempt in his pro career, twice. Prior to the initial snap, Patriots linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
called a timeout. Koenen heard the referee's whistle but still kicked the field goal. It landed right of the goalpost. A few moments later, Koenen attempted the kick again, and this time made an official 58 yard field goal. It was the longest field goal of Koenen's career at any level, tied for the ninth longest in NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
history (as well as the single longest in the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
), and was the third longest in history by an undrafted kicker.
In the Falcons' first preseason game of 2006, Koenen made four field goals, from 53, 50, 40, and 45 yards, along with doing the punting and kickoff duties. Koenen was slated to do the placekicking, punting, and kickoffs for the Falcons, something that is rarely done in the NFL by one player; however after he converted only two of eight field goal attempts, Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen , nicknamed "The Great Dane", is a former National Football League kicker. He holds the distinction of being the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, as well as being the all-time leading scorer for two different teams; the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent 13 seasons, and...
was brought in to take over field goal duties leaving Koenen to focus on punts and kickoffs for the Falcons.
Koenen returned solely as the Falcons' punter; the club signed Billy Cundiff
Billy Cundiff
William A. "Billy" Cundiff is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
to handle the other kicking duties. Cundiff was released before the season; Matt Prater
Matt Prater
Matt Prater is an American football placekicker who plays for the Denver Broncos. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at the University of Central Florida, where he majored in psychology.-High school career:Prater attended...
was signed but also released after a short while, and the placekicking was again done by Andersen.
A restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the 2008 offseason, Koenen was tendered a one-year, $1.417 million contract by the Falcons. He re-signed on April 14.
A free agent in the 2009 offseason, the Falcons placed the franchise tag
Franchise Tag
In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag and one...
on Koenen on February 9. He signed the one-year, $2.48 million tender offer on February 13.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Koenen was signed by the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
to a six-year, $19.5-million contract on July 29, 2011.