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placekicker

placekicker

2 7.5
A player who kicks the ball from a fixed spot to score field goals or extra points
  • noun
  • /ˈpleɪsˌkɪkər/
  • US
translation icon : pateador
  • Rookie placekicker Justin Tucker booted a 27-yard field goal as time expired, and the Ravens edged New England 31-30, dropping the Pats to a 1-2 start on the season.
  • placekickers and punters
  • former placekicker
  • team's star placekicker

Examples

  • In the Patriots' first loss to the Arizona Cardinals, middle linebacker Brandon Spikes made a huge play to force a fumble and set up a potential game-winning field goal, but placekicker Stephen Gostkowski missed wide left from 42 yards out.

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  • Michigan's placekicker, Brendan Gibbons, has been fantastic this year.

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  • The former Buffalo Bill placekicker is a famous figure in football history for two reasons.

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  • Nick Novak is the placekicker for the Chargers.

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  • As a placekicker, Murray has scored 86 points to lead the Rams.

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  • Samford's career scoring leader is their placekicker Cameron Yaw.

    Blog text (30)
  • Penn State placekicker Sam Ficken must already be nostalgic for the era during which players' names were not written on the back of their jerseys.

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  • Prolago hit another big field goal in this one, but we're still running our offense around our kicking game, which is not a good thing and won't change until we get at least an average placekicker in Lawrence.

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  • It was windy and rainy, the field slippery, from 42 yards out, in double overtime with the game on the line... pretty much as pressure-packed as it gets for a placekicker.

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  • The placekicker successfully scored a field goal from 45 yards during the game.

Synonyms

kicker
vsplacekicker
  • US
36 3.3

A player who mainly kicks the ball in games like American football or soccer

is specific to American football and kicks from a stationary position to score

Surface Forms

placekicker singular
placekickers plural

Morphology

placekicker = placekick (semi-transparent) = place + kick + er

The term 'placekick' is clear, but the specific role of a 'placekicker' in American football may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Placekicker is made from two simple words, place ('a spot') and kick ('to hit with the foot'). So a placekicker is literally someone who 'kicks from a spot' — the player who kicks the ball while it sits still, usually to score a field goal or extra point.