Jason Myers right foot was right on in Super Bowl LX.
Myers kicked a Super Bowl record five field goals and added two extra points to set another Super Bowl record with 17 points by a kicker, as the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13.
“It doesn’t feel real,” said Myers after Sunday’s win. “Maybe in a few weeks, when I go home to see my family and friends, maybe it will set in more. Right now, I’m just enjoying the moment.”
For Myers, it all started in the South Bay in San Diego. Myers was born and raised in Chula Vista, then graduated from Mater Dei Catholic High School in 2009.
John Joyner, now a Mater Dei Catholic administrator, was Myers’ football coach in high school. Joyner definitely enjoyed what he saw from Myers while watching Sunday’s game.
“Oh yeah, I was hooting and hollering,” Joyner told NBC 7 on Monday. “I had my kids going crazy.”
On the campus at Mater Dei Catholic, Myers is a legend. He’s in the Crusader Hall of Fame, and various Myers NFL jerseys are hung around the school.
Joyner says that, even though Myers was an amazing high school athlete, his path to the NFL was not straightforward.
“He’s a true underdog story,” Joyner said. “Jason was a better soccer player than football player in high school, but he wanted to kick, so he went to a small college, Marist University, then the Arena Football League. That determination to never give up on his dream, and now he’s a Super Bowl champ and a record setter. I’m super proud of him.”
That feeling of pride in Myers stretches across San Diego. Former San Diego Charger kicker and 23-year NFL veteran John Carney is a friend of Myers, has kicked with him and believes Myers’ Super Bowl performance is on the short list for best playoff games ever by a kicker.
”Jason Myers just put his name on that list,” Carney said. “You can chisel that in stone — it was great. He put on a masterpiece at the highest NFL level: the Super Bowl.”
Carney credited the entire Seahawks special teams operation with playing a premier game all around, including Myers.
“To see Jason come through at one of the brightest moments of his life with his Seahawk teammates and come away with the win was fantastic,” Carney said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him and his career.”
It wasn’t just a record-setting night for Myers. His performance in the Super Bowl set an NFL record for total points in a single season (including playoffs), scoring 206 points this year. The previous record for points in a season was set by San Diego Charger LaDanian Tomlinson, who scored 198 points (33 touchdowns) in 17 games during the 2006-07 regular season and postseason.