Martin Gramatica capped a phenomenal 1997 season that saw him make 19 of 20 field goal attempts by winning the Lou Groza Award. Gramatica set several Kansas State records that year, including most field goals in a season, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. He also became the only kicker in K-State history to make two 50-yard field goals in a single game; one from 55 yards tied the Big 12 record for longest field goal. Gramatica was a finalist for the Groza Award again in 1998, but lost to Sebastian Janikowski. After his senior year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Gramatica in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Rothe, a junior from Longmont, Colorado, ranks second in the nation in field goal accuracy among qualified FBS kickers, going 15-for-16 thus far. Included in that total is a 51 yarder, making him one of only two kickers in the nation to make a long-distance field goal while still connecting at better than 90% on total attempts. Among FBS kickers who qualified for accuracy leaderboards in each of the last two seasons, his combined 88.2% field goal conversion rate is second in the nation.