Age: 30
7th
season in pro football, 4th complete with Chargers
College: Notre
Dame
Height: 5’11” Weight: 170
Prelude:
Carney kicked
51 field goals in college and set a Notre Dame season record with his 89.5
percentage in 1984 (17 of 19). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the
Cincinnati Bengals in 1987 but failed to make the team and sat out the year. Carney
finished out the last four games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1988,
substituting for the injured Donald Igwebuike, and started the year in ’89,
playing in a total of five games and making good on two of five field goal
attempts and all six of his PAT attempts. After failing to make the Chargers
during the 1990 preseason, he appeared in one game with the Rams and was then
re-signed by San Diego, succeeding on 19 of 21 field goal attempts. Following a
lesser year in ’91, Carney bounced back to have two strong seasons, including
hitting on 31 of 40 field goal tries in 1993, with two games in which he kicked
six field goals in as many attempts.
1994 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Kicking
Field goals –
34 [1, tied with Fuad Reveiz]
Most field
goals, game – 5 at New Orleans 10/16, vs. Denver 10/23
Field goal
attempts – 38 [3]
Most field
goal attempts, game – 5 at New Orleans 10/16, vs. Denver 10/23
Field goal
percentage – 89.5 [2]
PATs – 33 [9,
tied with Ed Murray]
PAT attempts
– 33 [9, tied with Ed Murray]
Longest field
goal – 50 yards at Atlanta 11/6, vs. San Francisco 12/11
Scoring
Field Goals –
34
PATs – 33
Points – 135
[1]
Postseason: 3
G
Field goals –
4
Most field
goals, game – 2 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff
Field goal
attempts – 4
Most field
goal attempts, game – 2 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff
PATs – 5
Most PATs,
game – 2 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff; at Pittsburgh, AFC Championship
PAT attempts
– 5
Longest field
goal – 31 yards vs. San Francisco, Super Bowl
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: AP, Sporting News
1st
team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Chargers went
11-5 to finish first in the AFC West. Won AFC Divisional playoff over Miami
Dolphins (22-21) & AFC Championship over Pittsburgh Steelers (17-13). Lost
Super Bowl to San Francisco 49ers (49-26).
Aftermath:
Carney spent
another six years with the Chargers and departed following the 2000 season as
the club’s all-time leader in field goals (261) and scoring (1076 points). While
not strong on kickoffs, and with concerns about his range, he joined the New
Orleans Saints in 2001 and stayed for six years, providing reliability if not
long distance. Carney split time with the Jaguars and Chiefs in 2007 before
moving on to the New York Giants in ’08, where he had an excellent season,
making good on 35 of 38 field goal attempts and gaining selection to the Pro
Bowl at age 44. However, his contract was not renewed and he spent parts of the
2009 and ’10 seasons back with the Saints, finishing his 23-year career at 46
years old. Overall, Carney kicked 478 field goals in 580 attempts (82.4 %) and
added 628 extra points (with 10 misses) for a total of 2062 points The field
goal and point totals ranked third all-time in NFL history. He received
first-team All-NFL recognition once, second-team honors twice, and was chosen
to two Pro Bowls. Carney was named to the Chargers’ 50th anniversary
all-time team.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
