Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 NOV. 19, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE BY JIM LEFEBVRE I n his time, Knute Rockne became the most well connected man in the world of football. His office in the Main Building under the Golden Dome at Notre Dame served as the de facto "employment agency" for athletics across the nation. High schools, prep schools, colleges and universities were constantly asking him to recommend someone to be their next coach and athletics director. And it wasn't always a former Notre Dame player that Rock would direct to the job. He had developed relation- ships with literally hundreds of young coaches across the country, through his summer coaching schools. He'd pick a couple of candidates he felt were right for the job and counsel them on how they might present themselves, even down to salary requests. Today, John Carney plays a similar role for specialists — kickers, punt- ers and long snappers — looking for a college scholarship or pro football op- portunity. The relationships he formed during an illustrious 23-year NFL ca- reer and the skills that made him cur- rently the fifth leading scorer in NFL history are vital to his work as a teacher and coach for the rising generation of specialists. College recruiters and NFL personnel managers have come to rely on Carney's expertise in guiding and directing young specialists. "I met John for the first time during my rookie year in the NFL," says Young- hoe Koo, the Atlanta Falcons kicker who has an 88.9 field goal percentage in the NFL. "His willingness to share his knowledge, experience and time built the foundation for my career as an NFL kicker. "He continues to be a mentor for me and many others on and off the field. I'm forever grateful for the time he spent with me to help me become the kicker and the person I am today." Carney's insight and passion have been instrumental in opening doors for specialists to compete at the top levels of high school, college and professional football. He is a trainer for athletes that want to be the best version of them- selves. He opened Carney Training Fa- cility in Carlsbad, Calif., for everyone from football players to everyday people wanting to be stronger, more flexible, more agile, more fit … and more whole. Carney has come by his kicking bona fides through hard work and determi- nation. At Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla., he earned all- state honors as a punter. Carney came to Notre Dame in 1983 as a preferred walk- on, earned a scholarship and became the regular kicker for the Irish from 1984-86. He connected on 51 of 69 field goal attempts and added 70 extra points for a total of 223 points before graduat- ing in 1987. His NFL career spanned parts of four decades, a feat he shares only with George Blanda. Kicking for the New Orleans Saints in 2010 at age 46, Car- ney became the third-oldest player to take part in an NFL game. He is the fifth-leading scorer in the history of the league with 2,062 points. Carney, who spent 1990-2000 with the then-San Diego Chargers, finished Carney came to Notre Dame in 1983 as a preferred walk-on from Cardinal Newman High in West Palm Beach, Fla. He became a three-year starter as kicker for the Irish from 1984-86. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME SPORTS INFORMATION Former Irish, NFL Kicking Star John Carney Serves As A Mentor To Rising Specialists