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Small Group Lessons: St. Pete, Brandon and Temple Terrace
5/12/2012 -- Sunday, May 6, 2012
St.Petersburg Small Group will be held on Sunday, May 13th 2012 at 10:00 A.M.. Location is Canterbury High School. Contact Coach Tom Feely if interested in attending. Note, these small groups, like the Brandon Groups will be “Small Groups Lessons” at the small group rate and limited to six total.
Instructors will be Tyler Rhodes (Plant H.S.) and/or Ruben Hernandez (Robinson High School)
The Brandon Small Group Session for high school or college students will NOT take place take place Sunday, May 13th due to Mother's Day. (We love our Mothers in Tampa):-)
Place: JC Handly Field, Brandon.. Instructor Tom Feely and/or Jamie Clark (Riverview High School)
Please send text to Coach Feely if you plan om attending these Events.

Wednesday evenings are Small Group session for Middle School Students held in Temple Terrace at 6:00 p.m.
Instructor Tom Feely and/or John Feely (Plant H.S.)
To be included in any of the Small Group: Text, email or call Coach Feely and purchase (if needed) the small group lesson bundle. Phone/text: 813-205-5008; Email tfeely@aol.com.

website: FeelyAthletics.com

Vasquez chooses Western Michigan
4/14/2012 -- Coach Feely, I just wanted to let you know, after considering many different schools and taking numerous visits, I have finally made my decision to attend Western Michigan and become a Bronco. My reasoning behind choosing this school was because I have the opportunity to be a true freshman and play Division 1 football, but most importantly, the engineering department is what peaked my interest. Academics are always my first priority because football my not always be there, however, my education is something that can't be taken from me. On my visit, the bulk of my time was spent on the engineering side of the school and I was amazed at all the programs and projects the school had to offer.
I just want to thank you for being a great coach and helping me through this journey. You taught me a lot about determination and how the little things matter most to become the best. You and my parents were major aspects in my success and I will continue to work hard to excel to my full potential. Sincerely, Andres Vasquez

Eight FKS Athletes Selected Florida All-State
1/9/2012 -- Congratulations to the following eight Feely Kicking School athletes for being placed on the 2011 Florida All-State Team in their respective divisions :
All State Kickers:
Hunter Haire, Sr., Lake Mary
Grant Van Anam, Sr. Plant High
Kevin McLaughlin Sr., Ft Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons
Alex Ojeda Sr., Sarasota Cardinal Mooney
Cody Seeley, Sr., Lakeland Lake Gibson
All State Punters:
Aleem Sunanon Sr., Orlando Olympia
Sean Covington Jr., St Petersburg High
Kody Thomas Sr. Robinson High

Armwood wins 6A state title, 40-31
12/18/2011 -- Armwood wasn't home free until Nick Feely's 43-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining. Callahan debated the attempt. After all, it was Tallahassee Lincoln's block, scoop and score of an Armwood field-goal attempt that turned around last season's state final. "It had to be a perfect snap, a perfect hold and a good kick … and it was," Feely said. "When I hit it, I looked up and said, ‘We're state champs!'" Feely's kick was the final piece of a football mosaic that included every sort of touchdown play one could imagine. Unfinished Business. The slogan was on hundreds of Armwood High T-shirts throughout the Citrus Bowl on Saturday afternoon. Unfinished Business. The Hawks, carrying a year's worth of pent-up bitterness over last season's state-final loss, weren't about to fall short this time. It required roller-coaster emotions, huge offensive plays, a defense that forced four turnovers and a floating, drifting field-goal attempt that dropped through and clinched things in the final minute. Following Armwood's highly entertaining, 40-31 victory against the Miami Central Rockets in the Class 6A state championship game, Hawks coach Sean Callahan said his program finally can exhale. "There's so much to absorb today, but the bottom line is we got it done and I think we were destined to win this state championship," said a teary-eyed Callahan, whose Hawks (15-0) add a state football championship trophy to the Armwood squads of 2003 and 2004. Not so fast? There's also an unfinished black cloud hovering over Armwood's program. The Florida High School Athletics Association is investigating Armwood over the residency status of a transfer offensive lineman, Jack Lightsey, and that probe recently expanded to include other players. If the FHSAA finds ineligible players, Armwood would be required to forfeit its victories. "We're not going to let anything happen without fighting for what belongs to Armwood," Callahan said. "I might have to be 16-0 instead of 15-0. If that's the case, so be it. I really believe we're a good program and we do things the right way. I feel good about it." "No one can take anything away from us,'' said junior quarterback/receiver Alvin Bailey, who accounted for three touchdowns. "We beat everyone on the field. This is our time. We earned this." On that point, there is no dispute. The Rockets (13-1), last season's 6A state champions, would not go away. The Hawks built a 16-0 first-quarter lead when Jarvis McCall (56 yards) and Leon McQuay (32 yards) grabbed interceptions to score on the first two pass attempts by Central's Austin Stock. Over? Not quite. For Central, which erased a 17-point deficit in winning last season's title game, it was time to get started. Behind the resolute play of sophomore running backs Joseph Yearby (touchdown runs of 7 and 5 yards) and Dalvin Cook (touchdowns on a 63-yard run and a 99-yard kickoff return), the Rockets came charging back. Although Armwood never fell behind, it was under a constant threat. And it answered with big plays. The ever-elusive Bailey, who alternated at quarterback with Darryl Richardson, produced a 32-yard touchdown when he rolled right, then threw back left to a wide-open Wade Edwards. Later in the third quarter, it was Bailey pitching right to wideout Javonte Sneed, who stopped flat-footed, then threw back left to Bailey, who drifted out alone and caught a 19-yard score. Then one of the clinching moments. After Central had pulled within 30-24 with 8:04 remaining, many probably thought Armwood would look to move the chains and squeeze out a win. Instead, Bailey went deep to 6-foot-3, 225-pound running back Matt Jones, who got one-on-one with a safety down the right sideline, snagged a pass at midfield and sprinted in with an 80-yard score. "I saw the ball in the air and I just said, ‘You got to catch it … you got to catch it,'" Jones said. "When I did, it was off to the races." "What a beautiful sight, the big man running open like that," McCall said. "I loved the play call. We went for it!" Even though it surrendered 31 points, the Armwood defense still came up clutch in the big moments, including Central's last-gasp hope, when senior linebacker Eric Striker (12 tackles, two sacks) trapped Stock for a 5-yard loss on fourth down deep in Rockets territory. "We were miserable after last season's game and that feeling lasted a whole year," Striker said. "Every time I look at that silver medal, I get mad. Now I have a gold medal and I know what to think now. "This time, we finished it off. Man, it's so sweet."

Among storied bloodline, Armwood's Feely quietly writes his own saga
12/7/2011 -- Wed. December 7, 2011 | by Joey Knight St. Petesburg Times
Forget pedestals. In these parts, the Feely name is placed on a tee. For two decades, a quartet of Feely boys cut a soccer-style swath through Jesuit High lore, measuring its pride in touchbacks instead of touchdowns.
The oldest, Jay, has set various records for five NFL franchises and still kicks for the Cardinals. John dabbled in kicking, but helped guide Jesuit’s soccer team to a couple of state titles. Ryan was a two-time All-American at Jacksonville University. Tyler currently kicks for Columbia. In one sense, that esteemed heritage does Nick — the youngest — injustice. Presumptions accompany his name. Based on his bloodlines, some assume he’s a lock from 40 yards in. To know the Nick Feely story is to know such a typecast is unfair.
His older siblings, now those guys were automatic. Nick has to settle for another adjective. Miraculous.
“I’m talking to you now and getting chill bumps,” said former Jesuit JV coach Ray Cibischino, who was there to try to comfort Nick on the worst afternoon of his life. “I’m very proud of him, I’m very happy for him.” Of the five living Feely boys (another is deceased), none have endured a more excruciating journey to varsity stardom than Nicholas David, Armwood’s 16-year-old junior kicker/punter. Part of that journey, in fact, was via wheelchair.
Two autumns ago, Nick was vying for a starting safety job on Jesuit’s JV team. Through national evaluation camps, he had established himself as one of the country’s top ninth-grade kickers, but he wanted to be on the field even more. On Sept. 2, 2009, he was going one-on-one with a bigger kid in a tackling drill when he felt his left leg give way beneath him.
“I tried staying up on my right foot only,” Nick recalled, “but then after I was on the ground I looked down and it was twisted 90 degrees to the left.” According to his dad, Nick broke his left tibia and fibula, his ankle, every bone in his foot and his big toe. For all intents, his plant foot had been destroyed.Cibischino said “you could’ve turned that foot on a swivel.” “We heard just a complete shattering,” Cibischino said. “It was a crunch, if you will, of a whole bunch of odds and ends. He went down and turned pale white.”
Ensuing surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital took roughly 15 hours. According to Tom Feely, Dr. Anthony Infante of the Florida Orthopaedic Institute inserted a couple of large plates to hold his son’s bones in place, as well as 18 or so screws.
The next several months, Nick was virtually immobilized. He was named the Tiger JV’s honorary captain for its showdown with Tampa Catholic, but had to be pushed in a wheelchair to midfield for the coin toss. Pain was a perpetual companion, mainly because Nick abhorred his meds. “Nick was tough as hell,” Tom Feely said.
But if resilience was an ally, reality was a nuisance. Unless he could kick off crutches, Nick’s chances of ever slipping on pads again seemed remote. Here he was, a kicker, and the only boot in his life was a noun. A full year passed without Nick applying his foot to a ball. Initially, his rehab commenced on a golf course. Tom would hit a ball, Nick would walk to its landing spot, or as far as he could. When walking became easy, they graduated to tennis, with Tom hitting a little farther each day, making Nick lunge and stretch a bit more. “Then we graduated to volleyball,” Tom said. “So we spent about two weeks playing nothing but volleyball. We spent the whole summer doing nothing but sports. By the end of the summer, he got the muscle back in the leg and the pain started going away. It was a miracle.” By the first day of Armwood’s practice this past August, Nick was healthy enough to kick a couple of 50-yard field goals. In a healthier economy, he may have been Jesuit’s fifth Feely kicker, but the recession — his parents are public school teachers — forced a move. Instead, he stands at the precipice of the state championship game. Despite two long missed field goals last week, when the flu left him nearly dehydrated, Nick is 4-for-7 on field goals, with three of 45 yards or more. His 36 touchbacks are among the most in Florida. He also averages a shade below 40 yards a punt. “Nick has got great form and he has great skill in a sport he’s passionate about,” said Tom, who still runs a local kicking school. “And he’s got good size. He’s going to be bigger than anybody (in the family).” With a mettle to match his frame.
That’s an automatic.

Central Florida's Nick Catoi had perfect game!
11/13/2011 -- Feely Kicking School's Nick Cattoi, kicker for the University of Central Florida played a perfect game on Saturday against #24 ranked Southern Miss. Nick was 3 for 3 on his long field goals of 38, 41 and 48 yards. He also made both his extra points and 2 of his kickoffs went into the end zone for touch backs. UCF ended up losing in the last second 29-30 because they went for the win and tried for a 2 point conversion and failed instead of taking the extra point to tie the game.

If You Can't Kick...By Matthew Stoss, The Daily-News Record
11/10/2011 -- Tom Feely, father of Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, runs a kicking school in Brandon, Fla. Feely said he began to specialize in kickers when his son (Click on "Read More " to read on...)was in high school in the early 1990s. Now, he said, he teaches more than 1,000 kickers every year. "The number of coaches out there has just quadrupled or even more," Feely said by telephone. "When I started, you could count on one hand the number of us in the country. Now, there's hundreds of guys. ... I think that parallels how many good kickers there are in high school right now because of the number of kicking coaches." Bridgewater kicker Will Davis has worked with Feely. Davis, from LaBelle, Fla., said working with kicking coaches is an essential part of being able to kick in college. "I think if you want to get to the next level, you should definitely go see one (a kicking specialist like Coach Tom Feely)," said Davis. The 2001 Bridgewater College football team beat opponents by an average score of 43-23 and made it all the way to the Division III national championship, where ... it lost by a field goal. Field-goal kicking was a problem that nagged Bridgewater all that season. The Eagles made just 1 of 11. "He's got to hit 66 percent of his kicks," 16th-year BC coach Michael Clark said of his base-line for judging a kicker's effectiveness. "... If you have that, you would be at a distinct advantage." It's not an ironclad indicator of record (in 2008, the Eagles went 4-6 and made 10 of 13), but generally, it's better to have a reliable kicker than not. And in the past 10-15 years, finding them has been made a little easier by the advent of "independent trainers" - coaches who run kicking-and-punting-only schools and combines meant to produce more polished kickers. Clark announced Wednesday will handle Bridgewater's kickoffs after a week-long competition with freshman Jordan Thacker. Thacker, Clark said, will handle field goals, which have been an adventure for the Eagles (2-0) this season. They have made one of five. Thacker is 1-for-3, and Davis is 0-for-2. "Anyone who is at D-I, and most D-II guys have gone through somebody," said Thacker, a former soccer player who started kicking his junior year at Fred T. Foard High School in Hickory, N.C. "I think it'd be impossible if you're just trying to walk on somewhere - to get somewhere big without having some kind of training." That's a result of the rise of independent kicking coaches like Feely, who said another reason for more polished kickers is soccer, which gives football a pool of players already familiar with kicking. "Ninety-nine percent of my students who've wanted to learn to kick a football have already played quite a few years of soccer," Feely said. "... Soccer, of course, is the biggest youth sport in the country now. It means we have a great influx of athletic kids with honed skills." But just because there are more people teaching kicking now doesn't mean that every school has a quality kicker. Most schools bring in multiple kickers to find one. At I-A and I-AA schools, Feely said, coaches often pit kickers against each other and give the winner a scholarship. "I'm seeing a lot of colleges who would want to hold off offering a scholarship to a kicker," he said. "They want to see the kids walk on and compete." Clark said it works the same at Bridgewater. The Eagles bring in volume and sort through to find a serviceable leg, which obviously is more difficult in non-scholarship Division III. "If they had every duck in a row, they would be one of the invited walk-ons at quality Division I or Division I-AA schools," Clark said. But the kicking coaches haven't made as big a dent on punters. Feely estimated that for every 20 D-I kickers, there is only one punter. He said that's because punting is less sexy. "Punting is not a glamour position," Feely said. "Nobody is happy that a punter went in the game other than the punter's parents." Feely also said punters are more difficult to develop because it's more difficult to punt than kick. He said that's because punting involves kicking a moving target. The ball is stationary when kicking a field goal. In Division III, the punter dearth is more glaring. Almost every game includes at least one shanked punt, and Clark seems to regard having a consistent punter as a luxury. Clark said a study of last season showed BC wasn't able to field about 60 percent of the punts it received. He said 20 percent were on the Eagles' returner not pursuing the ball aggressively enough. The other 40? "They were just hack kicks," Clark said.

Ryan Acosta Sets HCAC and Earlham FG Record
10/17/2011 -- Acosta Sets HCAC and Earlham FG Record DEFIANCE, Ohio —Ryan Acosta ( a Feely Kicking School student from San Juan, Puerto Rico) booted a HCAC and school record 54-yard field goal with 2:12 left. The Earlham College football team traveled to Defiance College on Saturday as the Quakers fell 26-10. The Yellow Jackets (2-4, 2-2) got on the scoreboard early in the first before the Quakers responded with a field goal late in the opening period of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest.

website: DEFIANCE, Ohio —

Top 10 in career scoring leaders among active NFL kickers starting in 2011
10/15/2011 -- Top 10 in career scoring leaders among active NFL kickers starting in 2011 By Austin Chang, Oct 12, 11:09 am EDT NFL kickers are sometimes the unsung heroes of football teams. Whether they're kicking clutch, game-winning field goals or forcing teams into the end zone on kickoffs, kickers have a very valuable role. As a position that sometimes has little turnover and long careers, here are the top 10 highest-scoring active starter kickers in the NFL. Arizona Cardinals K Jay Feely as a member of the New York Jets Wikimedia Commons 10. Phil Dawson(notes), Cleveland Browns (1,083 points*) Age: 36 Career games: 187 Surpassing Hall of Famer Lou Groza for the Browns franchise leader in most field goals made, Dawson is the only player on the Browns roster to play for the team since it's reintroduction to the NFL in 1999. 9. Rian Lindell(notes), Buffalo Bills (1,128) Age: 34 AdChoices Career games: 177 A member of the Seattle Seahawks for the start of his career, Lindell made 321 extra points to start his career until his first miss on Nov. 7, 2010, an NFL record. 8. Jay Feely(notes), Arizona Cardinals (1,138) Age: 35 Career games: 164 A journeyman out of Michigan, Feely has played five NFL franchises. He has been one of the most consistent kickers year in and year out. Feely also hold the all time NFL record for tackles by a kicker, and last year became on of only four kickers in NFL history to score a touchdown. In that same game he scored 25 straight points, including 5 field goals and the fake field goal for a touchdown. 7. Sebastian Janikowski(notes), Oakland Raiders (1,188) Age: 33 Career games: 178 The youngest kicker on the list, Janikowski is known to have one of the strongest legs in the NFL, as evidenced by his NFL record-tying 63-yard field goal on Sept. 12, 2011 against the Denver Broncos. 6. David Akers(notes), San Francisco 49ers (1,371) Age: 36 Career games: 194 After 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Akers joined the 49ers as an uncommon left-footed kicker in the NFL. 5. Olindo Mare(notes), Carolina Panthers (1,454) Age: 38 Career games: 221 With an 81.4% field goal completion rate in the NFL, Mare has scored 100 points or more nine times in his career. 4. Ryan Longwell(notes), Minnesota Vikings (1,622) Age: 37 Career games: 229 Since his first game in the NFL on Sept. 1, 1997, Longwell has not missed a game of his career. With 229 consecutive games played, Longwell current streak gives him the 11th longest regular season record in all-time NFL history. 3. Adam Vinatieri(notes), Indianapolis Colts (1,690) Age: 38 Career games: 232 Known as the best clutch kicker in NFL history, Vinatieri has made numerous game-tying and game-winning field goals over his career, including field goals in the final seconds of Super Bowl XXXVI and XXXVIII for the New England Patriots. 2. John Kasay(notes), New Orleans Saints (1,874) Age: 41 Career games: 290 Without a team after 15 seasons with the Panthers, Kasay found a home with the prolific New Orleans Saints offense after an injury to Garrett Hartley(notes). 1. Jason Hanson(notes), Detroit Lions (1,941) Age: 41 Career games: 300 The oldest person on the list by a few months to Kasay's senior and just barely the most experienced of the bunch on this list, Hanson has played his entire 20-year career with the Lions and is the seventh-highest scoring player in NFL history. Honorable mentions: Houston Texans' Neil Rackers(notes) (1,078), St. Louis Rams' Josh Brown(notes) (903) *Statistics accurate as of October 11, 2011. Sources: NFL Sortable Stats 2011 Season Kicker Points, Yahoo! Sports Browns: Almost gone, Phil Dawson prepares for season No. 13, The News-Herald Rian Lindell's extra points streak snapped at 321, ESPN Janikowski ties NFL record with 63-yard field goal, AP Olindo Mare Career Stats, Yahoo! Sports Ryan Longwell Career Stats, Yahoo! Sports NFL Career Points Scored Leaders, Pro-Football-Reference.com

website: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Al_WxM1XUbsY7e9cRDlkFh_.uLYF?slug=ycn-10188669

Feely Kicking School’s Player of the Week
10/8/2011 -- Colin's kicking helps Allentown down Princeton By KYLE FRANKO For The Trentonian
ALLENTOWN — Matt Dodge could learn a thing from Markus Colin.
The Allentown High specialist, (trained by the Feely Kicking School)not only booted the game-winning field goal that gave his team a 10-7 victory last night over Princeton, but also managed to make a game-saving play on what looked like a sure disaster when the Redbirds lined up to punt with a three-point lead and 1:26 to play in the game. Colin was given the DeSean Jackson Rule by coach Jay Graber. But the snap came out low, actually short-hopping Colin who did well not just to catch it but to launch a 48-yard punt that Shorter fielded about one step from the sideline and was immediately cornered by a host of tacklers. I got a punt blocked in practice and coach was just telling me, ‘Get it off, get it off,’” Colin said. “He always believes in me. He wanted it was out of bounds but it was probably best that I just got it off.” Prior to the punt, Colin knocked home a 28-yard field goal to give Allentown the deciding points with 4:25 to play. It made up for a 38-yarder he missed midway through the second quarter. “I was used to (the pressure),” Colin said. “I get out everyday and I thank my holder and my snapper. I missed right earlier in the game and I was missing left in warmups, so I knew if I was going to miss it was going to be right. I was still confident.” “He played well,” Graber said. “He did what he was coached to do. He’s a hard-working young man and it all played out tonight.”

The Kicker: A Movie
9/25/2011 -- The Kicker: A look inside one of pro football's most important but often overlooked positions and the interesting men who ply their trade as kickers. In the glamorous game of professional football, kickers are more likely to be remembered for missing a kick than for making one. They are expected to walk out on the field with three seconds left and split the uprights from 50 yards out in a snowstorm... If he makes it, he is the hero for a moment. If he misses, he is the goat of an entire city for at least a week, and he may find himself traded or out of a job entirely. With extreme pressure as part of the basic job description, it is no surprise that kickers tend to be cut from a different cloth than position players. They are often very unique personalities with strict regimens and routines and odd superstitions. Often they can be isolated from their teammates, sometimes by choice. These are interesting characters with a very unique job within a glamorous industry where their coworkers receive all the glory. The top 25 leading scorers in NFL history are all kickers, but there is only one kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They play a vital role to their teams by perfecting a skill that looks far easier than it is in reality. This film tells their story. THE KICKER features exclusive interviews with Jan Stenerud, Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Tom Dempsey, Norm Johnson, Kevin Butler, Jay Feely, Olindo Mare, Garrett Hartley, Marshall Faulk, Lawyer Milloy, John Ryan, John Carlson, Jordan Babineaux, Jim Mora, Pete Carroll and Coach Tom Feely.

website: http://www.kickermovie.com/

If You Can't Kick...By Matthew Stoss, The Daily-News Record
9/25/2011 -- Tom Feely, father of Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, runs a kicking school in Brandon, Fla. Click on "More news " (below) to read on... Feely said he began to specialize in kickers when his son was in high school in the early 1990s. Now, he said, he teaches more than 1,000 kickers every year. "The number of coaches out there has just quadrupled or even more," Feely said by telephone. "When I started, you could count on one hand the number of us in the country. Now, there's hundreds of guys. ... I think that parallels how many good kickers there are in high school right now because of the number of kicking coaches." Bridgewater kicker Will Davis has worked with Feely. Davis, from LaBelle, Fla., said working with kicking coaches is an essential part of being able to kick in college. "I think if you want to get to the next level, you should definitely go see one (a kicking specialist like Coach Tom Feely)," said Davis. The 2001 Bridgewater College football team beat opponents by an average score of 43-23 and made it all the way to the Division III national championship, where ... it lost by a field goal. Field-goal kicking was a problem that nagged Bridgewater all that season. The Eagles made just 1 of 11. "He's got to hit 66 percent of his kicks," 16th-year BC coach Michael Clark said of his base-line for judging a kicker's effectiveness. "... If you have that, you would be at a distinct advantage." It's not an ironclad indicator of record (in 2008, the Eagles went 4-6 and made 10 of 13), but generally, it's better to have a reliable kicker than not. And in the past 10-15 years, finding them has been made a little easier by the advent of "independent trainers" - coaches who run kicking-and-punting-only schools and combines meant to produce more polished kickers. Clark announced Wednesday will handle Bridgewater's kickoffs after a week-long competition with freshman Jordan Thacker. Thacker, Clark said, will handle field goals, which have been an adventure for the Eagles (2-0) this season. They have made one of five. Thacker is 1-for-3, and Davis is 0-for-2. "Anyone who is at D-I, and most D-II guys have gone through somebody," said Thacker, a former soccer player who started kicking his junior year at Fred T. Foard High School in Hickory, N.C. "I think it'd be impossible if you're just trying to walk on somewhere - to get somewhere big without having some kind of training." That's a result of the rise of independent kicking coaches like Feely, who said another reason for more polished kickers is soccer, which gives football a pool of players already familiar with kicking. "Ninety-nine percent of my students who've wanted to learn to kick a football have already played quite a few years of soccer," Feely said. "... Soccer, of course, is the biggest youth sport in the country now. It means we have a great influx of athletic kids with honed skills." But just because there are more people teaching kicking now doesn't mean that every school has a quality kicker. Most schools bring in multiple kickers to find one. At I-A and I-AA schools, Feely said, coaches often pit kickers against each other and give the winner a scholarship. "I'm seeing a lot of colleges who would want to hold off offering a scholarship to a kicker," he said. "They want to see the kids walk on and compete." Clark said it works the same at Bridgewater. The Eagles bring in volume and sort through to find a serviceable leg, which obviously is more difficult in non-scholarship Division III. "If they had every duck in a row, they would be one of the invited walk-ons at quality Division I or Division I-AA schools," Clark said. But the kicking coaches haven't made as big a dent on punters. Feely estimated that for every 20 D-I kickers, there is only one punter. He said that's because punting is less sexy. "Punting is not a glamour position," Feely said. "Nobody is happy that a punter went in the game other than the punter's parents." Feely also said punters are more difficult to develop because it's more difficult to punt than kick. He said that's because punting involves kicking a moving target. The ball is stationary when kicking a field goal. In Division III, the punter dearth is more glaring. Almost every game includes at least one shanked punt, and Clark seems to regard having a consistent punter as a luxury. Clark said a study of last season showed BC wasn't able to field about 60 percent of the punts it received. He said 20 percent were on the Eagles' returner not pursuing the ball aggressively enough. The other 40? "They were just hack kicks," Clark said.

The Incredible Story of the Feely Family
9/14/2011 -- The Incredible Story of the Feely Family
by Michael Freeman CBS Sports.com
9-14-11
I want to tell you about a remarkable football family. There's the father, Tom Feely, a kicking coach. There's his son, Jay, a highly respected kicker for the Arizona Cardinals. There's the other son, Tyler, a kicker for Columbia University. And there's another son, Nick, a high school kicker in Florida.

A family of highly achieving kickers. One a professional. One kicking in college. One kicking in high school.
Stunning, right? But here's the best part.
They all play this weekend.
Nick will play on Friday, Tyler on Saturday and Jay on Sunday. Three kicking brothers on one football weekend.
This may have been done before but it remains an extremely rare accomplishment. It says a lot about Tom, the father, that this is happening. How does a proud father watch all three this weekend?
"Thank God for the Internet and DirecTV," he laughed. "I'm as proud as any dad would be," he said. "They are great kids. They're great people as well as great kickers. That's what you want as a dad." Tom Feely's coaching background goes back 38 years but his interest in coaching kickers really started when Jay was in ninth grade and began to excel at it. So began one of the more remarkable coaching stories few people know. At one point Tom had a streak of eight consecutive years of a kicker he coached earning a Division I scholarship. Some of his kickers went on to the NFL.

Now he will sit back this weekend and watch the fruition of decades of work and be both a proud coach and father.

"It doesn't get much better than this for a dad," he said.

FKS/ Video Blaster user gets a full football scholarship
5/8/2011 -- Coach Feely, I just wanted to let you know that Alex got a full football scholarship to Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina and will begin taking classes in July. Thanks for all your help (with the Video Blaster). Pam Catron
To see the Video Blaster Email we sent out for Alex go to the Video Blaster Page by clicking on the link to the right.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/videoblaster.asp

Abraham Mercado, Kicker Morgan State University
2/25/2011 -- "Before seeing Coach Feely for a first time in 4 years, I was a kicker who thought I knew everything there was about kicking. After accepting a full-scholarship coming out of High School to Morgan State University, I refused to get additional coaching because I believed I had reached my full potential and I thought I could criticize myself. After a while I found myself struggling to consistently get good height and drive on my field goals and I turned to Coach Feely. During a one hour session with Coach in January of 2011, I grew 5 years as a kicker.
Because of Coach Feely's genious software and incredible knowledge in everything about kicking, Coach has helped me improve both my distance and height on my field goals along with driving my confidence in my kicking through the roof. The things that I learned in one hour with Coach Feely will forever stay with me and only 1 month later after the session, I am already seeing the incredible results. Consistency is the key and Coach Feely's teaching is among the best if not the best kicking coaches in the nation. I drove a total of 8 hours in 1 day to see Coach Feely Brandon Florida and after that session I realized I would have driven 25 to be able to listen and learn from Coach Feely because it was a kicker's life changing experience. "
Abraham Mercado, Kicker Morgan State University

USA Today’s All-Joe Team: The unheralded prime performers from NFL '10
1/26/2011 -- USA Today’s All-Joe Team: The unheralded prime performers from NFL '10
K: Jay Feely, Cardinals —He's 122-for-141 (87%) on FGs since 2006. His TD scamper vs. Broncos on a day he scored 25 points cinched his spot.
All-Joe Team: The unheralded prime performers from NFL '10 - USATODAY.com www.usatoday.com The All-Joe team was born in 1992 as a tribute to Joe Phillips, a 14-year defensive lineman who did yeoman's work for the Chiefs that season. See complete list at the URL below

website: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2011-01-25-all-joe-team_N.htm

Sports Club banquet will honor Alstott, Brooks and Feely
1/20/2011 -- The Hall of Fame induction will highlight an evening of honors for the area's top amateur and professional athletes.
By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - The Sports Club of Tampa Bay will celebrate its 50th anniversary awards banquet in style when former Buccaneers players Mike Alstott and Derrick Brooks are inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame.
The banquet is Feb. 11 at Higgins Hall, adjacent to St. Lawrence Catholic Church, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, then dinner at 7:30. Tickets are $75 for adults and $35 for students. It will be televised by the Bright House Sports Network. The Hall of Fame induction for Alstott and Brooks will highlight an evening of honors for the Tampa Bay area's top amateur and professional athletes.
The Outstanding Professional Athlete award will be presented to Arizona Cardinals place-kicker Jay Feely, a Jesuit High graduate.

Thanks for your work!
1/20/2011 -- Hi Coach Feely, Alex and I both had a tremendous experience with you and I wish we lived in Tampa. You are a great and effective educator and we look forward to his practicing. David Grossman Long Island, New York

The Kicker: A look inside one of pro football's most important but often overlooked positions and the interesting men who ply their trade as kickers
1/11/2011 -- In the glamorous game of professional football, kickers are more likely to be remembered for missing a kick than for making one. They are expected to walk out on the field with three seconds left and split the uprights from 50 yards out in a snowstorm... If he makes it, he is the hero for a moment. If he misses, he is the goat of an entire city for at least a week, and he may find himself traded or out of a job entirely. With extreme pressure as part of the basic job description, it is no surprise that kickers tend to be cut from a different cloth than position players. They are often very unique personalities with strict regimens and routines and odd superstitions. Often they can be isolated from their teammates, sometimes by choice. These are interesting characters with a very unique job within a glamorous industry where their coworkers receive all the glory. The top 25 leading scorers in NFL history are all kickers, but there is only one kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They play a vital role to their teams by perfecting a skill that looks far easier than it is in reality. This film tells their story. THE KICKER features exclusive interviews with Jan Stenerud, Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Tom Dempsey, Norm Johnson, Kevin Butler, Jay Feely, Olindo Mare, Garrett Hartley, Marshall Faulk, Lawyer Milloy, John Ryan, John Carlson, Jordan Babineaux, Jim Mora, Pete Carroll and Tom Feely.

website: http://www.kickermovie.com/

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 16 from 12/15/10
12/15/2010 -- Coach Feely talks kicking with Jay Feely, kicker for the Arizona Cardinals about his record breaking game against the Denver Broncos. Interview with Coach Bob Weiner of Plant High School about the State Finals Championship game to be played on Friday night.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Jay_Feely_12-15-10.mp3

Quietly, Feely's Standout Season... By Darren Urban
12/10/2010 -- Quietly, Feely's Standout Season Jay Feely boots a field goal against the Rams last weekend. Jay Feely is a better kicker than he used to be. His first four years in the NFL – with Atlanta – weren’t the same as the six since, even with the Falcons’ climate-controlled dome. These days, Feely is confident every kick will go through the uprights. “You learn how to handle yourself mentally, the frame of mind you need to be in to succeed,” Feely said. “If you watch me before a game, I’m kind of a fool out there, running around, catching punts, throwing the ball, but I am having fun. I learned I needed to enjoy myself and have fun to perform the best. “If I am too focused, too serious, you allow the pressure of the moment to distract you from doing your best. That’s a process you have to learn.” Feely’s field-goal percentage never topped 80 in those first four years; he hasn’t been beneath 83.3 percent since. This season, Feely has nailed 15-of-16 (93.8) and he’d be perfect if a 54-yard attempt in – coincidentally – Atlanta hadn’t sailed left. The Cards’ record and the offense’s inability to generate scoring opportunities don’t help his cause, but Feely’s numbers – including 14 touchbacks -- make him deserving of Pro Bowl consideration. His 14 straight field goals is one shy of Neil Rackers’ 2008 streak that is the second-longest in franchise history (Rackers, during his historic 2005 season, made his first 31 field goals that year en route to an NFL record 40 for the season). There is a bit of irony in Feely’s steady play, since the kicker who replaced him with the Jets, Nick Folk, has struggled with his accuracy. It wasn’t that Feely wanted to leave New York or even that the Jets didn’t want him – they did. But because of a rule change given the current labor climate, the Jets’ desire to sign free agent defensive end Jason Taylor meant they had to let a free agent go – and Feely was the choice. Feely said he was “disappointed” he wasn’t going back, but was excited to become a Cardinal (replacing Rackers, who was also a free agent). Not that he had trouble dealing with the swirling winds of late-season New York both in two seasons with the Jets and the Giants, but he isn’t arguing with the perfect late-season Arizona weather either. Browns punter Reggie Hodges, a good friend of Feely’s, received a picture text from Feely this week. Knowing more than a foot of snow had arrived in Cleveland, Feely took a picture of the Cards’ practice field in the perfect weather, mountain in the background, and let his buddy know it was time to go to work. “I’m going to take advantage of (the weather),” Feely said with a smile.

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 14 from 12/2/10
12/5/2010 -- Coach Feely talks kicking with Michael Husted, founder of the National Camp Series Kicking and Punting competition, and about marketing your prep athlete to college coaches.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Michael_Husted_Dec-2.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Special Interview from 12/2/10
12/5/2010 -- Conversation with John Feely about his work in Haiti, and plans for his new venture in Haiti.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/John_Feely.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 12 from 11/18/10
11/24/2010 -- Main Topic: Coach Feely’s Plan for the NCAA Div.1 Playoffs, Mike Vick Goes Wild, Giant’s Coach Tom Coughlin reacts to Vick’s dismantling the Redskins, Jay Feely’s Rookie year with Mike Vick, Florida H.S. Playoffs, Comments on Jeff Reed Cut from Steelers, Auburn’s Cam and Cecil Newton Situation.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin It 11-18-10.mp3

Letter from U. of Houston's Long Snapper
11/23/2010 -- Coach Feely, I would like to thank you for all that you have done for me. You have helped me get to where I am today. Your professional relationships and knowledge aided me by allowing me to view and correct the most intricate details of my long and short snapping. Also, without your recruiting software and the ability to send my film to all coaches at the D1, 2 and 3 levels I would not have received as many recruiting calls. Nor would I have been looked at by the University of Houston, and started for them this past 2010 season. I am looking forward to working with you again and helping me get to the next level. Taylor Jordan
-- University of Houston, Snapper

Kyle Dougherty # 1 !
11/22/2010 -- Dear Coach Feely, Kyle Dougherty, Unviersity of Souther Illinois, finished atop the NCAA Div 1 FCS in scoring in 2010 for a career with 368 points. (Kyle was a long term Feely Kicking School student throughout his high school career). Congrats Kyle!

Pinellas County Sunday Development Group
11/17/2010 -- Finally, after many months of planning, the Feely Kicking School will conduct a Sunday Development Group in Pinellas County starting Sunday Dec. 5th 2010 from 10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
This Group will meet most Sundays and will be taught by John Kay. John has been with the Feely Kicking School since its' early years. The Development Group will be held at:
Canterbury School of Florida
990 62ND Ave NE
St Petersburg, FL. 33702
Football field back of campus
Develoment Groups are intended to be a long term consistent instruction. The cost is kept very low to make it affordable for everyone.
Purchase a bundle of 5 for only $200. You may use them when you can.
Questions? Contact Tom Feely at tfeely@aol.com or JohnKay@tampabay.rr.com

Letter from Cameron Stevens, Univ. of Findlay
11/14/2010 -- Coach Feely, My college football career is now over. I finished yesterday by hitting two field goals from 25 yards out and a career best 48 yarder.This season I was 10-12 on field goals and 15-15 on extra points. I finished my career going 44-54 on field goals. I want to personally thank you for helping me get to where I am at. You have helped so many guys throughout your career and you are great at what you do. I couldn't have asked for a better kicking coach during my years kicking. I want to play at the next level, whether it's the NFL,AFL, UFL or CFL,but I am going to give it my all. I wanted to email you and thank you for everything you have done for my parents and I. I want to get together soon when i come home for a little bit. I hope that can be possible. Thanks, Cameron Stevens

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 10 from 11/4/10
11/10/2010 -- Discuss certain Hillsborough County Coaches, talk with coach from St. Pete Catholic, discuss latest on Randy Moss situation with Vikings, comments on the Bucs vs. Cardinals game, discussion of the 2010 Nov. elections, especially those races in Florida.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin it 11-4-10.mp3

Thanks for your help!
10/31/2010 -- Tom: It really was an outstanding honor to have you with us yesterday, both as a cherished friend/family and as an expert teacher/coach of kicking/punting. Coach Robert Weiner Plant High School Football

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 8 from 10/21/10
10/27/2010 -- NFL Hits causing concussions and fines, James Harrison, Interview with Dominic Ciao from Berkely Prep.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/kICKIN iT 10-21-10.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 7 from 10/14/10
10/17/2010 -- Senators getting involved in Labor dispute between NFL and NFLPA, Brett Favre Affair, Todd Donohoe of Strawberry Crest, Interview with Gerry Brown, Discussion of Jay Feely, Brett Favre.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin It 10-13-10.mp3

If You Can't Kick...By Matthew Stoss
10/15/2010 -- The Daily-News Record Online BRIDGEWATER - Tom Feely, father of Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, runs a kicking school in Brandon, Fla. Click on "More news " (below) to read on... Feely said he began to specialize in kickers when his son was in high school in the early 1990s. Now, he said, he teaches more than 1,000 kickers every year.
"The number of coaches out there has just quadrupled or even more," Feely said by telephone. "When I started, you could count on one hand the number of us in the country. Now, there's hundreds of guys. ... I think that parallels how many good kickers there are in high school right now because of the number of kicking coaches."
Bridgewater kicker Will Davis has worked with Feely. Davis, from LaBelle, Fla., said working with kicking coaches is an essential part of being able to kick in college.
"I think if you want to get to the next level, you should definitely go see one (a kicking specialist like Coach Tom Feely)," said Davis.
The 2001 Bridgewater College football team beat opponents by an average score of 43-23 and made it all the way to the Division III national championship, where ... it lost by a field goal.
Field-goal kicking was a problem that nagged Bridgewater all that season. The Eagles made just 1 of 11. "He's got to hit 66 percent of his kicks," 16th-year BC coach Michael Clark said of his base-line for judging a kicker's effectiveness. "... If you have that, you would be at a distinct advantage."
It's not an ironclad indicator of record (in 2008, the Eagles went 4-6 and made 10 of 13), but generally, it's better to have a reliable kicker than not. And in the past 10-15 years, finding them has been made a little easier by the advent of "independent trainers" - coaches who run kicking-and-punting-only schools and combines meant to produce more polished kickers.
Clark announced Wednesday will handle Bridgewater's kickoffs after a week-long competition with freshman Jordan Thacker. Thacker, Clark said, will handle field goals, which have been an adventure for the Eagles (2-0) this season. They have made one of five. Thacker is 1-for-3, and Davis is 0-for-2.
"Anyone who is at D-I, and most D-II guys have gone through somebody," said Thacker, a former soccer player who started kicking his junior year at Fred T. Foard High School in Hickory, N.C. "I think it'd be impossible if you're just trying to walk on somewhere - to get somewhere big without having some kind of training."
That's a result of the rise of independent kicking coaches like Feely, who said another reason for more polished kickers is soccer, which gives football a pool of players already familiar with kicking.
"Ninety-nine percent of my students who've wanted to learn to kick a football have already played quite a few years of soccer," Feely said. "... Soccer, of course, is the biggest youth sport in the country now. It means we have a great influx of athletic kids with honed skills." But just because there are more people teaching kicking now doesn't mean that every school has a quality kicker. Most schools bring in multiple kickers to find one. At I-A and I-AA schools, Feely said, coaches often pit kickers against each other and give the winner a scholarship. "I'm seeing a lot of colleges who would want to hold off offering a scholarship to a kicker," he said. "They want to see the kids walk on and compete."
Clark said it works the same at Bridgewater. The Eagles bring in volume and sort through to find a serviceable leg, which obviously is more difficult in non-scholarship Division III. "If they had every duck in a row, they would be one of the invited walk-ons at quality Division I or Division I-AA schools," Clark said. But the kicking coaches haven't made as big a dent on punters. Feely estimated that for every 20 D-I kickers, there is only one punter. He said that's because punting is less sexy.
"Punting is not a glamour position," Feely said. "Nobody is happy that a punter went in the game other than the punter's parents." Feely also said punters are more difficult to develop because it's more difficult to punt than kick. He said that's because punting involves kicking a moving target. The ball is stationary when kicking a field goal. In Division III, the punter dearth is more glaring. Almost every game includes at least one shanked punt, and Clark seems to regard having a consistent punter as a luxury. Clark said a study of last season showed BC wasn't able to field about 60 percent of the punts it received. He said 20 percent were on the Eagles' returner not pursuing the ball aggressively enough. The other 40? "They were just hack kicks," Clark said.

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 6 from 10/7/10
10/10/2010 -- Randy Moss and the Patriots, Rhode Island H.S. cancels game because opponent too big, interview with Todd Donohoe Strawberry Crest HS, George Edington of Leonard HS.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin It 10-7-10.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 5 from 9/30/10
10/1/2010 -- Coach Feely talks about local Tampa regional high school news with Robinson High Coach Mike Depue and takes phone calls

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin_IT_9_30_10.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely: Latest Episode
9/23/2010 -- Download the latest episode from the weekly radio show, Kickin' It with Coach Feely. Coach Feely is "mad as hell" and talks about coaching issues at the youngest levels of football.

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Show_9_23_10_ABV.mp3

Kickin' It with Coach Feely - Episode 3 from 9/9/10
9/9/2010 -- Coach Feely talks to National Camp Series founder and former NFL kicker Michael Husted

website: http://www.feelykicking.com/audio/Kickin It_9_09_10.mp3

Two F.K.S students named Pre Season All Americans
8/7/2010 -- Congradulations to Kyle Dougherty (Soutnern Illinois University) and Wes Skiffington (Stony Brook University) who were both named to Pre-Season All-American teams. Both players did most of their kicking training at the Feely Kicking School throughout their high school years and continue to train during their college careers.
Kyle Dougherty was selected to the first team for the FCS Senior Scout Bowl All American Team. Senior kicker Kyle Dougherty was named to the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place-Kicker Award watch list on Wednesday. Dougherty, who was also one of the athletes named to the FCS Senior Scout Bowl 2010 Preseason All-American Team. It awards performance on the field and in the community. He scored 110 points last season, tying Ron Miller for the fourth most productive season in SIU history. He was 53-of-55 in conversion attempts and hit 19-of-25 field goals. Dougherty has 303 points in his career.
Wes Skiffington, also a preseason All-American, led his team (Stony Brook University) with 71 points after going 15-for-17 on field goals and 26-for-30 on extra points. He was named a College Sports News National All-Star after connecting on four extra points and four field goals against Presbyterian.
Have a great season guys! I'm proud of both of you! Coach Feely

website: http://www.goseawolves.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/071510aad.html and http://siusalukis.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072610aab.html

Former Feely Kicking School student now the New York Giant's Punter!
8/5/2010 -- Even former Detroit Lions great, Alex Karras, would love having Matt Dodge on his team. During his days of terrorizing NFL quarterbacks in the 1960s, Karras openly hated any kicking specialists, as he did not consider them football players. But, if that defensive tackle ever had a player like Dodge on his team, he would be smiling like the Cheshire Cat - grinning from ear to ear. Not only has Dodge excelled as a punter, he has also proven to be one of the elite kickoff specialists in the collegiate ranks. He has also filled in as a place-kicker for field goals and placements, when needed.
He has also shown no fear running with the football, when his protection coverage breaks down. After uncorking a punt, it is commonplace to see Dodge racing down field and hurling his body at the returner in attempts to make the tackle. With the added bulk on his frame the last two years, opposing punt returners say that the ECU punter hits harder than a linebacker.
Combining his statistics from his freshman season at Appalachian State and his three years with the Pirates, Dodge ranks first among all active punters for yardage (11,209) and second for most punt attempts (261). His Football Bowl Subdivision punting average of 43.56 yards ranks second on that national active list (seventh overall with a 42.95 average).
Dodge's 220 punts at East Carolina rank fourth in school history and fifth in Conference USA annals. His 9,583 yards punting during his time with the Pirates rank third on the ECU career-record list and second among the league's punters.
Handling a variety of roles is nothing new to Dodge. At West Carteret High School, he was a two-time All-State kicker and punter, lettering three times. He was rated one of the top ten punters in the nation by The Gridiron Report and participated in the 2004 North Carolina/South Carolina Shrine Bowl and the North Carolina East/West All-Star Game. He also received academic achievement honors as a junior and senior and was named Class President as a freshman and senior.
Dodge enrolled at Appalachian State in 2005, seeing action in 12-of-15 games. He punted 41 times for a 39.66-yard average and had just thirteen of those kicks returned vs. him, finishing with a 35.20-net yard average. After the season, he left the university and enrolled at East Carolina in 2006, but did not join the football program. In January, 2007, Dodge officially became a member of the Pirates football team. He was anointed special teams captain, as he ranked fourth in Conference USA with a 41.34-yard average on 80 punts, the most by an ECU kicker since the 1968 season. He had 24 of his attempts downed inside the 20-yard line and 16 that went for distances of at least 50 yards, but the team's coverage unit struggled, as two of his kicks were returned for touchdowns. Dodge bulked up in the offseason, coming back stronger than ever in 2008. He earned All-American honorable mention, as he ranked second in the conference and 14th nationally with a 43.93-yard average on 73 attempts. He helped the team lead Conference USA and rank tenth in the FBS ranks with a 37.86-yard net average. He put 20 of his kicks inside the 20-yard line and had 25 punts for 50 yards or longer. Only 26 of his boots were returned by the opposition, as he twice tackled returners on those runbacks.
Dodge was named to seven different All-American teams as a senior. The Moorhead City native led the conference and ranked second in the nation with a 45.81-yard average, third best on the league's season-record chart. He had 26 of his 67 boots returned, helping ECU lead Conference USA while finishing seventh in the nation with a 39.12-yard net average.

website: http://www.giants.com

Feely blocks Jets' lowball offer, joins Cards
4/2/2010 -- By Tim Graham Three years ago, Jay Feely left the New York Giants as a free agent and signed a handsome deal to kick for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins went 1-15 that season. The Giants won the Super Bowl. Jets kicker Jay Feely signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Friday.Already, Feely is dreading the possibility he might have left another team on the verge of a championship. "Man, I'd give up every extra dollar I got from Miami to win the Super Bowl," Feely told me in a phone interview Friday afternoon shortly after his agent signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. The decision closed the door on Feely returning to the New York Jets, a team that came 30 minutes away from reaching the Super Bowl two months ago. "Hopefully I don't look back in retrospect and have the same thing happen all over again. That would kill me to have it happen twice. But I won't be rooting against the Jets." Feely wanted to remain with the Jets. He said he could have rejoined the club three days ago if he wanted. But he couldn't bring himself to accept the club's proposal. Feely claimed the Jets offered him a one-year contract for $300,000 less than he made last season. The Jets signed free-agent Nick Folk in late February, but that didn't necessarily mean the Jets weren't open to Feely's return. Feely said Jets coach Rex Ryan called him several times since the season ended, most recently over the weekend. "I know that he wanted me on that team," Feely said. "Whether they believe in Nick Folk that strongly or have a certain dollar amount allotted to that position, I don't know. But the guys that make the decisions financially made the call. I understand that. I accept that. I'll move on. "I don't take it personally even though I'm disappointed." Feely will be reunited with safety Kerry Rhodes, who the Jets traded to the Cardinals last month, and former Dolphins teammate Joey Porter. Feely mentioned the Cardinals' leadership and track record as major influences in his decision to move to the desert. Kicking in domes as opposed to the Northeast's winter elements didn't hurt either. Feely expressed regret over leaving the Jets' locker room, which he described as borderline utopian. "There's no question that I love that organization," Feely said. "It's a great locker room. The guys on that team are tremendous to be around, a very open and welcoming locker room with a lot of young talent. The foundation is in place for them to be good for a long time. "The relationship between the coaches and players is unique. It's an ideal fit. The coaches have authority and demand the most, but have the respect of the players, who give their best out of mutual admiration. "Nobody would want to leave that environment." Feely's 122 points last year ranked third in Jets history for scoring among kickers. He set a club record with 24 straight field goals and tied a team record with a 55-yarder in Week 8. Feely converted 30 of his 36 attempts, ranking 17th among regulars at 83.3 percent. He made 12 of 15 attempts from 40 yards and out. "I got calls from every coach, from [special-teams coordinator] Mike Westhoff to [offensive coordinator] Brian Schottenheimer and Rex," Feely said, "and all of them had awesome things to say. "I can leave feeling good, knowing that I gave everything I had. I know they respect me as a player and a leader and a man."

Jesuit's Tyler Feely picks Columbia
1/31/2010 -- Jesuit's Tyler Feely picks Columbia Tyler Feely, a standout kicker for Jesuit, has committed to Columbia. According to Tom Feely, Tyler’s father, the Tigers senior picked the Ivy League school over offers from a number of programs, including Georgetown, Hampton and Southeast Missouri State. Tyler Feely visited Columbia this past weekend. “He’s extremely excited,” Tom Feely said. “He was about to take four other visits. This was his first trip. He was so sold on the school and everything else that he cancelled the other trips.” The younger Feely carries a 4.24 GPA and hopes to study political science in college. Tyler’s older brother, Jay, currently kicks for the Arizona Cardinals. Jay played at Jesuit in the early 1990s, and later kicked at Michigan. (Another brother, Ryan Feely as a College All American as both a punter and kicker for two years in a row and played for Jacksonville University and Jesuit High School.) A two-year starter at Jesuit, Tyler is both an excellent punter and terrific placekicker. “His greatest strength is his punting,” said Tom Feely, a noted kicking coach who runs the Feely Kicking School. “He’s got terrific form.” Columbia went 4-6 last fall and tied for fourth in the conference. --KEITH NIEBUHR (kniebuhr@sptimes.com)

Tom Feely, Guest Speaker to Nations College Coaches at AFCA
1/16/2010 -- The American Football Coaches Association had Coach Tom Feely speak at their "Buzz Sessions" during their Annual Convention to over 100 college coaches. The Buzz Sessions were held on Sunday, January 10 For the ninth consecutive year, the Buzz Sessions were be featured at the AFCA Convention taking place January 10-13, 2010, in Orlando, Florida. The Buzz Sessions provide coaches with opportunities to learn from college football’s coaching experts in a particular area of the game. Feely spoke on how to coach their struggling college place kickers.

Jay Feely’s Punting Is a Key to the Jets’ Playoff Win
1/12/2010 -- By GEORGE VECSEY,SPORTS OF THE TIMES Published: January 9, 2010 Cincinnati Those tricky Bengals unveiled all the secret weapons they had kept hidden last Sunday when they more or less gave away a regular-season game to the Jets. As it turned out, the Jets also had a secret weapon for the playoffs — Jay Feely, the punting kicker. The Jets dropped Feely on the unsuspecting Bengals, the unsuspecting Jets fans and, for that matter, on an unsuspecting Feely himself. Feely was pressed into duty when Steve Weatherford, the Jets’ regular punter — in fact, their only punter — came down with an irregular heartbeat minutes before the game. Feely said he muttered to himself. He had punted one time on a trick play in college, and never in his peregrinations in the National Football League, which include stints with Atlanta, the Giants, Miami and the Jets, plus a stopover in Kansas City and who knows how many tryouts in the humiliating world of the itinerant kicker. It is never a good omen for a wild-card team on the road to resort to its place-kicking specialist to punt the ball with large galoots rampaging toward him. Feely had one minidisaster right away, but none afterward, punting for an average of 31.4 yards on seven attempts, with only one returned for significant yards. This stunning turn of events was just enough to take the crowd and the Bengals out of the game, by a 24-14 score.

Under 'Weather' punter gives Feely extra duty
1/11/2010 -- CINCINNATI -- Rex Ryan said he was worried when he heard Steve Weatherford wouldn't be able to punt yesterday thanks to an irregular heartbeat. "I heard that Jay [Feely] was going to have to punt," Ryan said, "and it about gave me [an irregular heartbeat] as well." Just minutes before the game, the Jets learned that Weatherford was out, and that Feely would have to handle the punting duties. did. Nobody did. Additional reporting by Mark Cannizzaro BOX SCORE Feely, who kicked for the Falcons, Giants and Dolphins prior to joining the Jets during the 2008-09 season, had never punted in an NFL game before. But you do what you've got to do for your team," Feely said after the Jets' 24-14 wild-card win. Feely did plenty to help the Jets advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Punting for the first time in his nine-year career, Feely punted seven times yesterday, averaging 28.1 yards. Is that a tremendous average? No. But it wasn't disastrous. His longest punt of the day went 37 yards. There were also several times Feely punted spectacularly, pinning the Bengals at their 11-yard line, at their 6-yard line and at their 12-yard line. "I think I'm bad enough that I'm a good pooch punter," he said. Feely also kicked a 20-yard field goal, nailed three extra points and booted five kickoffs. "We call him 'Slash,' " linebacker Bart Scott said, referring to the versatile former Steeler Kordell Stewart. " 'Cause he does it all. Field goals, kickoffs." Think punting and kicking are pretty much the same? No big deal? Said Weatherford: "You go out there, that's like asking a linebacker to go play quarterback. Yeah, he's still kicking the ball, but it's totally different. You've got to catch the ball and drop it to yourself." Weatherford said he has had "a non-life-threatening heart condition since I was in high school," and before yesterday's game his heart rate was up and he felt light-headed. He called it "the most inopportune time for it to happen." Weatherford actually ripped his IV out at one point, so determined to play. But he'll have to settle for punting next weekend instead. He said he felt okay and would be able to go. "I'm hoping [Weatherford's] OK," Ryan said. "Maybe it was just a little anxiety. Who knows?" When Feely, who only punted once even in college, found out right before yesterday's game he'd be punting, he said, "Oh crap," and hit a few practice ones. Said Ryan: "I had no idea he could punt like that."

Feely Kicking School kicker breaks SIU record
12/12/2009 -- (Kyle) Dougherty's 19 field goals this season sets new mark at Southern Illinois Former M.I. kicker breaks SIU record Former Merritt Island High kicker Kyle Dougherty has moved closer to becoming the all-time scoring leader at Southern Illinois University, while continuing to set personal and school records. The SIU junior placekicker and 2007 Merritt Island graduate booted a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter of the Salukis' 24-3 NCAA FCS playoff loss to William and Mary on Dec. 6, giving him 305 points in his collegiate career. He needs only 75 in his senior season to establish a new record at SIU. Dougherty's kick was his 19th field goal of the season, breaking a 19-year record at the school. For the year, he led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in scoring with 110 points. He connected on 53 of 55 extra-point tries and was 19 of 25 on field goal attempts with 10 coming from 40 yards or more. His longest field goal this season was 49 yards.

Wolves make Sharks pay
10/31/2009 -- (Both Tony Zaccario and Harold Gussman are Feely Kicking School Students) Wolves make Sharks pay By JARRETT GUTHRIE Tribune correspondent The Tampa Tribune Published: October 31, 2009 Tony Zaccario added the first of his three field goals to give Newsome a 5-0 advantage before the offense finally made a strike on a 2-yard run by Niko Anthony midway through the quarter. Also in flux all season has been the Wolves kicking game as Zaccario, a junior, has been in a weekly battle with sophomore Harold Gussman for the kicking duties. Wolves coach Ken Hiscock said the two have battled during the week for the chance to kick and this week Zaccario won the kickoffs and field goals while Gussman took the punting job. "Competition is good and the two of us have to fight every week," Zaccario said. "It does get frustrating sometime, but this is football and it's a sport and you have to fight for your job whether you like it our not. "I appreciate a good competition." After earning his duties, Zaccario shined in the game, coming up with the bulk of the Wolves' scoring as well as a big fourth-quarter punt pinning the Sharks inside the 10 with less then two minutes left. The punt didn't escape Hiscock's attention. "It's a battle between those guys every week," Hiscock said of his kickers. "But that was a beautiful play - a beautiful punt."

website: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/31/sp-wolves-make-sharks-pay/

Interest picking up for Tyler Feely
10/21/2009 -- Interest picking up for Tyler Feely Posted on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. Several college football programs have requested video and transcripts recently of Jesuit senior P/PK Tyler Feely. Included in that group of schools are Arkansas, Boston College, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Hawaii, Ohio, Ohio State, Princeton and USF, according to Tom Feely, Tyler’s father. “His greatest strength is his punting,” said Tom Feely, a noted kicking coach who runs the Feely Kicking School. “He’s got terrific form. He’s been kicking it consistently this year over 40 yards and with really good hang time.” Feely currently has a 40.60 punting average. He has made four field goals; 16 of his 31 kickoffs have been touchbacks. Tyler’s older brother, Jay, is the placekicker for the Jets. Jay played at Jesuit in the early 1990s, and later kicked at Michigan. --KEITH NIEBUHR (kniebuhr@sptimes.com) Tyler Feely Jesuit High School

website: http://hometeam.tampabay.com/recruiting/2009/oct/21/interest-picking-tyler-feely/

Feely's Feeling Great
10/17/2009 -- Feely's Feeling Great Published: Thu, October 15, 2009 - 4:15pm ET By Randy Lange 10/15 — Jay Feely told Rex Ryan, as Monday night rapidly headed toward Tuesday morning, that he was ready for a record-book effort if needed. "He told me, 'I can make a 63-yarder.' That's how he felt," the head coach said of his kicker at today's news conference following a practice in a cold rain at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "That was really interesting. He came by on the sidelines and told me that. From the look in his eyes, he was dead serious." Feely, always with a smile during the week, confirmed that he wasn't kidding around about hitting a kick that would have equaled the longest field goals in NFL history. "I went back to 63 in warmups and felt really good. And there was a little breeze going that way," he said. "I basically just told him, 'As far back as you want to go.' " Feely didn't get to try that but you shouldn't bet against him from any distance this season. Since the summer, he's been off on perhaps the finest start to his nine-year pro career. He's hit every one of his placements this season — all eight field goals, including tries from 40 and 43 yards vs. the Dolphins, all 11 PATs. And he and his coverage team have the second-best average start in the league, with opponents taking his kickoffs on average only to the 21.9-yard line. "My body feels good, I'm pretty confident and I'm just trying to get better every day," he said. "As cliché as that is, that's the approach I take when I go out there every day." Ryan also knew of Feely's philosophical approach to the game, which is that even though he's not the biggest guy on the field at 5'10" and 205 pounds, he wants to make his presence felt other than through his right foot. "When we got here, we heard that we've got the kicker that'll go tackle somebody. He's really an interesting guy, and I think he's got a great pulse of the team. They don't look at him as a traditional kicker. They look at him almost as ... a football player," Rex said with his hearty laugh. "He's got tons of confidence in himself, and right now his kickoffs are good. He's doing a great job." One sign of the greatness is that in his 20th game as a Jet on Monday, Feely tied Pat Leahy's 24-year-old franchise record for 22 consecutive field goals. Feely said he's never met Leahy but is aware of his long tenure as the franchise's most successful placekicker. "I obviously know how great he was here, that he holds all the kicking records here and he's one of the best kickers in the history of the Jets. It's an honor to be up there with him." But typically for Feely, the numbers themselves don't captivate him. "To be honest, that doesn't mean much to me because most of it was last year," he said of his current streak, which began with 14 in a row to close 2008. "If I make 22 in a row this year, then I'll be happy about it." That can still happen, although the quest for No. 23 for the franchise record and beyond could be in jeopardy Sunday against Buffalo, in part because of the Bills' fine special teams and in part because of a possible cold, wet day at the Meadowlands. But the weather angle is why Feely went out into today's elements with a purpose. "Today was nasty, rainy and cold, but it was a good day to work on the whole operation, the snap, the hold and the kick," he said, including snapper James Dearth and holder Steve Weatherford in the equation. "You're going to get days like that for sure and worse in the Meadowlands, so it was good day of work." In a so far very good year.

Feely in the Record Book
10/13/2009 -- From New York Jets... Jay Feely also had a good night. He hit a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter to forge a 10-10 tie, then converted a "one-minute drill" at the end of the half with a 43-yarder, his longest of the season, to put the Jets up at halftime, 13-10. The significance of the two kicks is that Feely is now tied with Pat Leahy for most consecutive field goals made in franchise history. Leahy nailed 22 straight in 1985-86 and is joined by Feely, who could claim the record for himself by hitting his next try as soon as Sunday against the Bills.

Jesuit’s Tyler Feely a “special” talent
9/29/2009 -- Jesuit’s Tyler Feely a “special” talent Posted TampaBay.com on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 by Keith Niebuhr (Kniebuhr@sptimes.com) Special teams aren’t just overlooked by fans; they’re overlooked by recruiting writers. So for that, let me apologize right now. I’ll try to do better. Today, I’ve got highlights of Jesuit’s Tyler Feely, who’s one of the best kickers around. Last week, the senior made a field goal, was 5 of 5 on PATs, had four touchbacks on six kickoffs and produced a 52-yard punt. He’s currently averaging better than 45 yards per kick. Here are some of Feely’s 2009 highlights: Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrbNsv6i0Io

website: http://hometeam.tampabay.com/recruiting/2009/sep/28/jesuits-tyler-feely-special-talent/

Travel Free Virtual Kicking Lessons
8/15/2009 -- The Feely Kicking School now offers "State of the Art" Technology providing the long distance kicker, punter or long snapper a way to get personalized coaching without spending the cost of traveling to Florida. No airline fares! No hotel costs. No meals, No taxi cab fees! I will even throw in the software that makes all this possible for FREE (a $50.00 savings!). If saving all that money was not enough even the lessons are less expensive than face to face lessons. You will get a detailed analysis of your performance with a side by side comparison of what you should be doing by comparing your actions to that of a professional. Sign up now for this great way to get coaching when you can't leave home.

This Is Huge! All Star Sports Camps Forms Partnership with the Feely Kicking School!
8/14/2009 -- All Star Sports Camps in Deland Florida, near Orlando and Daytonna Beach Florida, has formed a partnership with the Feely Kicking School. The partnership will have three major benefits: 1) In 2010 and beyond the Feely Kicking School will host overnight camps and combines at this State of the Art facility. 2) The Feely Kicking School will be the sole provider of all Kicking/Punting training done at and for All Star Sports Camps. 3) The Professional Kicker/Punter Academy by FKS will be done at All Star Sports Camps providing those seeking training for a professional career a complete solution for all their needs in one place. To see the best facility for training in the world click on the All Star Sports Camps logo to the right--->

website: http://www.as-camps.com/

Small Group Lessons Schedule
8/4/2009 -- Small groups are available for pre-high school, high school and college kickers/punters. There is still room for more.
All groups are being held at the Brandon Bronco Field in the JC Handly Sports Complex: 3104 S. Kings Ave. Brandon Fl. (See link below for a mapquest map and directions.

website: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Brandon&state=FL&address=3104+S+Kings+Ave.&zipcode=33511

Save $$$: Travel Free Long Distance Lessons!
7/2/2009 -- Save on the cost of the lessons and save hundreds from not traveling! This is a revolutionary new way for those who live too far to travel for lessons, or just can't afford the cost of traveling, but still wishes to get personalized private lessons from Coach Tom Feely.
Travel Free Virtual Lessons allows you to easily capture your kicks and/or punts on digital video and allows you to easily send them to Coach Feely over the Internet, from anywhere in the world! You will get back, in just a few days, the same lesson you would have received in person with side by side comparison of your technique to the "kicking models", kickers and punters from the NFL.
The best part of this is you can get the required software for free! No kidding, absolutely FREE! Ask me how!
Registration is now open! Just go to the Registration Link on the left side of this page.
Questions? Email Coach Feely at tfeely@aol.com Coach Tom Feely

4th Annual National Combine Series Semi-Finals
6/30/2009 -- 4th Annual National Combine Series: Semi-finals
The Semi-finals for the Southeast Region of the United states will be held at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fl. on August 1st. 2009. Jesuit High is on a "Turf Field".

website: www.combineseries.com

New Small Group Lessons
6/19/2009 -- Several "Small Groups" (group size limited to six) are being formed right now!
Younger kickers can learn basics of kicking and punting in the first group and more experienced guys can bring their skills to a new level in another.
There are a few opening for both the "Small Group" classes. The next group meets Thursday July 2nd, 2009 at 4:30 P.M.
Sign up on this website on the registration link. Email Coach Feely if you have any questions at tfeely@aol.com.

Locations and Coaches
6/18/2009 -- We offer all our services in... 1.Tampa, Florida (including Brandon, New Tampa and Clearwater and all of Pinellas County) Instructors: Tom Feely, John Feely Xavior Beitia, Garrett Rivas, and Tony Umholtz)
2. The entire area around Orlando, Florida
Instructors:Ryan Feely and Rob Zarilli
3. Huntsville Alabama and the larger Alabama area.
Instructor: Dr. James Reid
Note: See Staff page for Biographies of each coach

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