Martin Gramatica was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1999 after a college career that saw him win several accolades while at Kansas State University. He won Super Bowl XXXVII with the team, and while he didn’t finish his career in Tampa Bay, he remains there today, just coaching an indoor soccer team.
As a result of his staying in the area, so has his family, which includes his son Nico, who is now a sophomore kicker for USF. On Saturday, he hit the game-winning field goal for the Bulls as they pulled off an upset over their in-state rival, the Florida Gators. USF had trailed in the final minutes, but the team drove the length of the field and set him up for a short field goal to secure the win.
Gramatica chose USF after visiting other colleges, including his dad’s alma mater, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and the team he had just beaten, Florida.
Gramatica and the USF Bulls will stay in the state next week as they travel south to Miami to try and pull off a third straight upset over a ranked team. Apart from their win over Florida, they upset a ranked Boise State team in Week 1 of the college football season.