Jeff Reed

He graduated 9th in his class out of 365.

Jeffrey Montgomery Reed (born April 9, 1979) is a former National Football League (NFL) placekicker.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Reed graduated from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1997.

While there, Reed was captain of the soccer team and kicker for the football team.

He was a letterman in both sports.

His senior year the soccer team went to the state finals but lost, 2–1.

During his senior year, Reed kicked a 54-yard field goal, the second longest in North Carolina history, against Providence High School, setting a new school record.

In football, he won All-Conference and All-County honors.

Reed was involved in the school newspaper, National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society.

He had never kicked in a college game until the 2000 season, but he emerged as one of the most consistent kickers (and punter) in the country.

He was an honorable mention All-ACC pick as a senior and a second-team All-ACC player as a junior.

He entered the 2000 season as a walk-on, but he earned a scholarship after connecting on 28-of-36 field goal attempts and 66-of-67 extra points.

His 66 consecutive PATs set a UNC record.

He was one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation's top kicker.

Reed was first-team Academic All-ACC.

While at UNC, Reed was teammates with running back Willie Parker, his future teammate with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2002.

He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2002 until 2010, and is second all-time behind Gary Anderson for the most points scored by a Steeler.

He has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

After an unsuccessful tryout with the New Orleans Saints during the 2002 preseason, Reed joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent during the regular season.

Originally signed as a midseason replacement to the injured Todd Peterson, Reed quickly contributed to the team, finishing the season with 100 points, which led to the team releasing Peterson in the offseason and making Reed their primary kicker.

In the Spring 2005, Reed was added to the East Mecklenburg Wall of Fame.

Reed attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in journalism and played college football.

During the Steelers 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Jets, Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal in overtime after his New York counterpart Doug Brien missed two field goals.

During the 2005–06 NFL playoffs, where the Steelers eventually won Super Bowl XL, Reed successfully kicked all three field goal attempts and converted all fourteen of his potential PATs.

Reed's streak of 189 consecutive successful PAT's (210 including post-seasons), dating back to the Steelers' week 16 victory over the Chargers in 2003, came to an end on Monday November 3, 2008, against the Washington Redskins.

During Super Bowl XLIII, Reed went 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points in the Steelers 27–23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Reed is the second-highest scoring Steeler.

His 733 points trails Gary Anderson's 1,343.

Reed's fallout with the Steelers began on October 18, 2009, Reed was cited again for public intoxication and disorderly conduct related charges on October 18, 2009, hours after the team defeated the Cleveland Browns.

The incident occurred when Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth was cited for urinating in public, and Reed refused to comply with police orders to go back inside his SUV.

He later apologized to his team for his conduct.

Reed was franchise tagged during the 2010 offseason, and signed his one-year tender on April 13, 2010.

Reed was released on November 16, 2010, two days after missing a 26-yard field goal against the New England Patriots.

He was replaced by Shaun Suisham.

Reed went unclaimed through waivers and became a free agent, free to sign with any team and still collect the balance of his Steelers' contract ($160,000 each week) for the year in addition to any pay he received from signing with a new team.

On November 18, 2010, two days after Reed was released by the Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals offered Reed a contract.

However, he declined.

On December 2, 2010, Reed signed with the San Francisco 49ers to replace their injured kicker, Joe Nedney.

Reed had a good outing in his first game, going 3 for 3, including a 44-yard field goal.