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Giorgio Tavecchio

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Giorgio Tavecchio
refer to caption
Tavecchio with California in 2009
No. 40 – Milano Seamen
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1990-07-16) July 16, 1990 (age 34)
Milan, Italy
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Campolindo
(Moraga, California)
College:California (2008–2011)
Undrafted:2012
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics
Field goals:21
Field goals attempted:26
Field goal %:80.8
Longest field goal:56
Touchbacks:48
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Giorgio Tavecchio (born July 16, 1990), nicknamed "Italian Ice",[1] is an Italian professional football placekicker for the Milano Seamen of the European League of Football (ELF). He was born in Milan, Italy and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2012.[2] He played his collegiate career at the University of California, Berkeley.

College career

[edit]

Tavecchio's original plan was to attend UC Davis after they offered him a soccer scholarship. Because UC Davis was not also interested in him as a football placekicker, he considered other options. He then set up a workout at Cal but was only offered to be a walk-on.[3]

Tavecchio began attending Cal in 2008 and competed with David Seawright and Jordan Kay to be the team's placekicker. As a freshman, he split time with Seawright and converted all 25 extra point attempts and 9-of-13 field goal attempts.[4][5] As a sophomore in 2009, he competed with Vincenzo D'Amato for the placekicking duties. With D'Amato handling a majority of the work, Tavecchio converted 14-of-15 extra point attempts and 8-of-12 field goal attempts.[6][7] As a junior in 2010, he handled all of the placekicking duties and converted 37-of-39 extra point attempts and 11-of-16 field goal attempts.[8][9] Throughout his first three seasons, he posted a 68% field goal percentage and was able to reach 75% after his senior year. In his final collegiate season in 2011, he continued to handle all placekicking duties and converted 36-of-42 extra point attempts and 20-of-23 field goal attempts.[10][11][12] In his senior season, he had his best statistical kicking performance against Arizona State in a 47–38 victory. In the win over the Sun Devils, he converted all five extra point attempts and all four field goal attempts.[13] His 20 field goals made in the 2011 season led the Pac-12 Conference.[14] During his time at Cal, he was a four-year starter.[15]

College statistics

[edit]
Season Team Conf Class Pos GP Kicking
XPM XPA XP% FGM FGA FG% Pts
2008 California Pac-10 FR K 10 25 25 100.0 9 13 69.2 52
2009 California Pac-10 SO K 11 14 14 100.0 8 12 66.7 38
2010 California Pac-10 JR K 12 37 39 94.9 11 16 68.8 70
2011 California Pac-12 SR K 13 36 42 85.7 20 23 87.0 96
Career 46 112 120 93.3 48 64 75.0 256

Professional career

[edit]

Pre-draft

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Going into the draft, Tavecchio was not invited to the NFL Combine. During the California Golden Bears pro day, it began to rain before he was able to perform any drills. Tavecchio kept running his planned drills but was unable to showcase his talents since every NFL scout had gone into an indoor practice facility.[16] Tavecchio remained unsigned after going undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft. He then attended a tryout for the San Francisco 49ers at which he was the only kicker present.[17]

San Francisco 49ers

[edit]

On August 29, 2012, Tavecchio signed a three-year, $1.44 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. At the time, 49ers special teams coach, Brad Seely was looking for an additional kicker to eventually succeed long-time veteran David Akers. The left-footed Tavecchio was chosen because Akers was also left-footed and they could both use the same holder, instead of getting another holder for a right-footed kicker.[18]

Green Bay Packers

[edit]

After being waived by the San Francisco 49ers during the offseason, the Green Bay Packers signed him to a three-year, $1.48 million contract on March 26, 2013.[19]

Tavecchio was waived by the Packers on August 26, 2013.[20]

Detroit Lions

[edit]

The Detroit Lions signed Tavecchio to a reserve/futures contract on January 1, 2014.[21] The Lions waived him on August 25, 2014.[22]

Oakland Raiders

[edit]

On August 27, 2014, the Oakland Raiders claimed Tavecchio off of waivers.[23] Three days later, he was waived by the team.[24]

On February 23, 2015, Tavecchio signed a contract to return to the Raiders. He was waived by the team on September 5, 2015.[25]

On January 5, 2016, the Raiders signed Tavecchio to a two-year, $990,000 reserve/futures contract.[26] On August 29, 2016, he was released by the Raiders.[27]

On April 19, 2017, Tavecchio again signed with the Raiders.[28] He was waived by team on September 2, 2017, and was later signed to the practice squad.[29][30] He was promoted to the active roster on September 9, 2017, after longtime Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski was placed on the injured reserve list with a back injury.[31]

Tavecchio played his first game on September 10, 2017, where he scored four field goals on four attempts, including two 52-yard attempts, and two extra points on two attempts, providing over half the scoring in a 26–16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.[32] He became the first player to hit two 50-plus yard field goals on his debut in NFL history. Tavecchio's performance in Week 1 earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[33][34] In the next game, a 45–20 victory over the New York Jets, he had a season-high six extra points converted to go along with a 29-yard field goal.[35] Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 33-of-34 extra point attempts converted to go along with 16-of-21 field goals converted in all 16 games.[36]

On August 3, 2018, Tavecchio was waived by the Raiders after the team signed veteran kicker Mike Nugent.[37]

Atlanta Falcons

[edit]

On August 27, 2018, Tavecchio was signed by the Atlanta Falcons.[38] He was waived by the team on September 1, 2018.[39] He was re-signed by the team on October 10, 2018, after incumbent kicker Matt Bryant injured his hamstring after kicking a 57-yard field goal the previous week.[40] In Week 7, Tavecchio converted both extra point attempts and all three field goal tries, including a career long 56-yarder, in a 23–20 win over the New York Giants, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[41]

On August 31, 2019, he was waived by the Falcons after the team re-signed veteran kicker Matt Bryant.[42]

Los Angeles Wildcats

[edit]

Tavecchio signed with the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL on March 4, 2020.[43] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[44]

Tennessee Titans

[edit]

On November 10, 2020, Tavecchio was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[45] He was released on November 24.[46]

Barcelona Dragons

[edit]

On July 17, 2021, Tavecchio played his first match with the Barcelona Dragons (ELF) in the European League of Football. He converted one extra point attempt and three field goal attempts, including a 56-yarder.[47]

Milano Seamen

[edit]

On April 3, 2023, Tavecchio signed with the Milano Seamen.[48]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ @AtlantaFalcons (October 24, 2018). "ITALIAN ICE!Giorgio Tavecchio has won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week!📝 -" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Former Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio signs with Raiders". San Jose Mercury News. February 24, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Della, Luke (December 17, 2015). "GIORGIO'S JOURNEY". University of California Athletics. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "2008 California Golden Bears Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio 2008 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  6. ^ "2009 California Golden Bears Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  7. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio 2009 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  8. ^ "2010 California Golden Bears Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio 2010 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "2011 California Golden Bears Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  11. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio 2011 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  13. ^ "California at Arizona State Box Score, November 25, 2011". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "2011 Pac-12 Conference Leaders". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "Giorgio's Journey – California". University of California Athletics. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  16. ^ Gehlken, Michael (August 22, 2017). "Raiders K Giorgio Tavecchio still chasing dream after 6 NFL camps – Las Vegas Review-Journal". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  17. ^ Fucillo, David (November 28, 2012). "49ers kicker: Team works out Billy Cundiff, Nate Kaeding, according to reports". SBNation. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  18. ^ Della, Luke (December 17, 2015). "Giorgio's Journey". CalBears.com. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  19. ^ Western, Evan (March 27, 2013). "Packers Sign Tavecchio, But Is This Kicking Competition Real?". SBNation. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  20. ^ Silverstein, Tom (August 26, 2013). "Packers release Tavecchio, keep him on short list". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  21. ^ Rogers, Justin (December 31, 2013). "Detroit Lions sign 10 players, including two kickers, to futures contracts". mlive. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  22. ^ Rothstein, Michael (August 25, 2014). "Detroit Lions cut Giorgio Tavecchio, settle on Nate Freese". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  23. ^ Hjeltness, Nick (April 20, 2017). "Oakland Raiders Once Again Sign Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio". SBNation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  24. ^ "Oakland Raiders Kicker, Punter & Snapper News". Blogger. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  25. ^ "Oakland Raiders Announce 53-Man Roster". Raiders.com. September 5, 2015. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  26. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio Contract". Sportrac.com. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  27. ^ "Oakland Raiders Announce Transactions". Raiders.com. August 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017.
  28. ^ "Raiders Sign K Giorgio Tavecchio". Raiders.com. April 19, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Raiders Announce Transactions". Raiders.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  30. ^ "Oakland Raiders Sign Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio To Practice Squad". Raiders.com. September 8, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  31. ^ "Raiders Sign Giorgio Tavecchio; Place Sebastian Janikowski On IR". Raiders.com. September 9, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  32. ^ "Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans – September 10th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  33. ^ Lam, Quang M. (September 13, 2017). "Alex Smith, Sam Bradford among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  34. ^ "2017 NFL Week 1 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  35. ^ "New York Jets at Oakland Raiders – September 17th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  36. ^ "Giorgio Tavecchio 2017 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  37. ^ "Raiders sign kicker Mike Nugent; waive kicker Giorgio Tavecchio". Raiders.com. August 4, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  38. ^ McFadden, Will (August 27, 2018). "Falcons sign former Raiders kicker Giorgio Tavecchio". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  39. ^ McFadden, Will (September 1, 2018). "Falcons 2018 roster: Atlanta announces roster cuts, trims active roster down to 52". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  40. ^ McFadden, Will (October 16, 2018). "Falcons sign kicker Giorgio Tavecchio". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  41. ^ "Cam Newton, Aaron Donald among Players of the Week". NFL.com. October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  42. ^ McFadden, Will (August 31, 2019). "Falcons 2019 roster announced". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  43. ^ "Wildcats Make Series of Roster Moves". XFL.com. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  44. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  45. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 10, 2020). "Titans Add Three Players to the Team's Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  46. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 24, 2020). "Titans Place LB Jayon Brown and LT Ty Sambrailo on Injured Reserve While Making Several Other Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  47. ^ "Game Report: Frankfurt Galaxy vs. Barcelona Dragons". European League of Football. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  48. ^ "milano seamen giorgio tavechio - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
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