Garrett Rivas

Garrett Rivas (born June 1, 1985) is a former American football kicker who played in af2 and the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Michigan; he set the current school records for career scoring, field goals and point after touchdowns and was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection during his time there. As a professional, he played for the Florida Firecats of af2 and the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL.

Garrett Rivas
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1985-06-01) June 1, 1985
Tampa, Florida
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:Jesuit High School
College:Michigan (2003–2006)
Undrafted:2007
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career Arena statistics
Field Goals made:5
Field Goals attempted:8
Extra Points made:105
Extra Points attempted:123
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

High school career

Rivas attended Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida where he played wide receiver and kicker. He played kicker because it increased his chance to make the team. Among his high school honors was selection to the Tampa Chapter of the Hall of Fame for Scholar Athletes. Rivas also played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio and played in the Florida–Georgia All-Star Game.[1] In high school, Rivals.com ranked him as the 24th best kicker in the nation.[2] Jesuit is fellow kicking Michigan alumn Jay Feely's alma mater.[3] Professional kicker Xavier Beitia is also an alumnus of the school.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Garrett Rivas
PK		 Tampa, Florida Jesuit (FL) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) -- Sep 1, 2002 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 24 (PK)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  • "2003 Michigan Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  • "2003 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.

    College career

    As a freshman for the 2003 Wolverines, he was the regular kicker for the team from the start, making four point after touchdowns (PATs) in the first game of the season.[5] Beginning his streak of many game-winning kicks for the Wolverines, he made the game-winner in the largest comeback in Michigan history, capping a 21-point 38–35 comeback victory against Minnesota with a 33-yard field goal with 50 seconds left in the Battle for the Little Brown Jug.[6] Rivas was involved in a controversial national story in the October 4, 2003 when Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr changed the punting gameplan in the middle of the game by asking Rivas to line up as a punter and carry the ball or kick while rolling to his right behind a wall of blockers. After it worked twice, the Iowa Hawkeyes blocked the third attempt; the resulting great field position led to Iowa taking the lead, breaking a 20–20 tie en route to a 30–27 win.[7][8]

    As a sophomore for the 2004 Wolverines team, his season-best 4–4 field goal performance came in a September 11, 2004 28–20 loss to Notre Dame in the Michigan – Notre Dame football rivalry game.[9] He posted a 4th-quarter field goal to bring the Wolverines to within 24–20 in their October 9, 27–24 win against Minnesota.[10] He made the go-ahead 35-yard field goal with 2:45 remaining against Purdue in an October 23, 2004, 16–14 win.[11][12] He also went 3–3 on field goals and 4–4 on extra points in the October 30, 2004, overtime 45–37 win against Michigan State in the Paul Bunyan Trophy game.[9] In the season-ending 38–37 loss to Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl, Rivas was 3–3 on field goals and 4–4 on extra points.[9] Following the season he was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.[13]

    As a junior for the 2005 Wolverines, he was involved in many close games. The team's first five conference games were all decided in the final 24 seconds of regulation or in overtime.[14] After missing a 27-yard potential game-winner in the final minute, he made the winning field goal in overtime against Michigan State.[15][16] In the October 8, 2005 23–20 loss to Minnesota, Rivas missed two late chances to break a 20–20 tie: a 42-yard field goal late in the third quarter and a 34-yard kick with 8:27 left in the game.[17] In the October 15, 27–25 last-play win against Penn State, he gave the team a 21–18 lead on a 47-yard field goal with 3:45 remaining.[18] Rivas posted 15 points in an October 29, 2005, 33–17 win against Northwestern.[19] At the end of the season, Rivas was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for the second-straight year.[20]

    As a senior for the 2006 Wolverines, he never made more than two field goals in a game yet still managed to score a total of 93 points, one shy of his career-high set back in 2004.[21][22] That year Michigan won all eleven its victories by at least seven points.[21] At the conclusion of the Big Ten schedule, he was selected as a 2006 first team All-Big Ten Conference selection .[23]

    Rivas set a new Michigan Wolverines football record for career scoring (354), surpassing Anthony Thomas' record of 336 set back in 2000.[22] He also broke Remy Hamilton's field goal record of 63, set back in 1996, with 64 career field goals,[24] and J. D. Carlson's PAT record of 137, set back in 1991, with 162.[25] He additionally tied Mike Gillette's record from 1998 of 13 career 40-yard field goals.[24]

    Professional career

    He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on May 3, 2007 as an undrafted free agent, but was released on June 2, 2007.[3][26][27] Rivas signed to the Florida Firecats of the af2 league on April 25, 2008, for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.[3][4] In 2009, he played in nine of the first ten games, but he did not appear in any of the last six games.[28] During his final af2 season he completed 41 of 58 point after touchdown conversions and missed both of his field goal attempts.[29] He played for the Tampa Bay Storm in the reincarnated Arena Football League in 2010 and participated in the Arena Bowl with the team.[30]

    He also serves as an assistant football coach and physical education teacher at Berkeley Preparatory School, where he runs the offseason football conditioning program.[4]

    Statistics
    Michigan[5]
    PAT Made PAT att FG Made FG Att Points Long FG FG Blocked Punts Yards Avg. Long FC Inside 20
    2003505191277471413032.53842
    20043741192494471000.0000
    2005333519269047023718.52222
    20064244172093481000.0000
    Career1621716482354483616727.83864
    Professional
    Team PAT Made PAT att FG Made FG Att Long
    2008Florida————
    2009Florida415802
    2010Tampa1051235850
    Playoffs
    Team PAT Made PAT att FG Made FG Att Long
    2010Tampa202401

    Notes
    1. "Q&A with kicker Garrett Rivas". Tampa Bay Storm. March 25, 2010. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    2. "Garrett Rivas". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    3. "Garrett Rivas #18". Tampa Bay Storm. Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    4. Butherus, Scott (May 7, 2010). "Storm's Rivas balances life with football". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
    5. "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
    6. Lapoint, Joe (October 13, 2003). "College Football; Big Ten May Review Injury to Quarterback". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    7. Lapoint, Joe (October 6, 2003). "Inside College Football; Minnesota Looks Golden in a Tight Big Ten". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    8. Lopresti, Mike (October 5, 2003). "Paterno feeling the heat as losses mount". USA Today. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    9. "Garrett Rivas #0 K (2004 game log)". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    10. "Minnesota 24 (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten), Michigan 27 (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten)". ESPN. October 9, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
    11. Thamel, Pete (October 24, 2004). "2 Freshmen Are Playing Major Roles For Michigan". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    12. "Wolverines improve to 5-0 in Big Ten". ESPN. October 23, 2004. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    13. "Big Ten Announces 2004 Football All-Conference Teams And Individual Honors: Michigan's Edwards Named Offensive Player of the Year while Wisconsin's James Tabbed Defensive Player of the Year". CBS Interactive. November 23, 2004. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    14. Lopresti, Mike (October 23, 2005). "Six unbeatens must fit into two slots for shot at title". USA Today. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    15. "A Kicker's Second Chance Does In the No. 11 Spartans". The New York Times. October 2, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    16. "Spartans' first loss at hand of nemesis Wolverines". ESPN. October 1, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    17. "Drew Scores 5 Touchdowns to Lead Bruins Past Bears". The New York Times. October 9, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    18. "Wolverines hand Penn State first loss this season". ESPN. October 15, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    19. "Garrett Rivas #0 K (2005 game log)". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    20. "Big Ten Announces 2005 Football All-Conference Teams And Individual Honors: Northwestern's Basanez and Penn State's Robinson Share Offensive Honors while Ohio State's Hawk Sweeps Defensive Player of the Year Accolades". CBS Interactive. November 22, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    21. "Garrett Rivas #0 K (2006 game log)". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    22. "Record Book" (PDF). CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 142. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
    23. "Big Ten Announces 2006 Football All-Conference Teams And Individual Honors: Smith, Woodley, Long, Bielema, Hill Earn Individual Honors". CBS Interactive. November 21, 2006. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    24. "Record Book" (PDF). CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 131. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
    25. "Record Book" (PDF). CBS Interactive. January 5, 2009. p. 132. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
    26. "Thursday's Sports Transactions". USA Today. May 4, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    27. "Tuesday's Sports Transactions". USA Today. June 20, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
    28. "AF2 - 2009 Season: Florida Firecats Games Played (Through games of Aug 09, 2009)". AF2. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
    29. "AF2 - 2009 Season: Florida Firecats Overall Individual Statistics (Through games of Aug 09, 2009)". AF2. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
    30. Blanchette, John (August 21, 2010). "Tampa Bay Storm falls in ArenaBowl 69-57 to Spokane Shock". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved September 29, 2010.

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