Background and career
Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and for the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Hauschka was also a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Locomotives, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He won Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seahawks.
Stephen Hauschka grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, where he played on the Needham High School Rockets varsity soccer team, varsity basketball, and the varsity lacrosse team. He also played trombone in the NHS concert band and NHS jazz band. He did not play football for the Rockets. He graduated in 2003 and went to Middlebury College with intent to play Division III soccer for the Panthers.
In 2003, Hauschka was cut from the Middlebury Panthers men's varsity soccer team and finished the season on junior varsity. Prior to his sophomore soccer season, Hauschka was urged by his friend, Scott Secor, to try out for the football team, where he edged out freshman recruit Jacob Lister for the starting kicker role. In his three seasons with the Panthers, he was a two-time All-NESCAC selection as both a kicker and punter. He owns the school's single-season record for field goals. He was named a District I Academic All-American by College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) during his senior year. He was a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award for the top college football placekicker. Hauschka was also a member of the Middlebury College lacrosse team. Hauschka graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in neuroscience in 2007.
After graduating with honors from Middlebury College, Hauschka decided to forgo an acceptance to dental school and enrolled as a graduate student at North Carolina State in 2007. Since Hauschka was cut from the Middlebury College men's varsity soccer team during his freshman season, he retained one year of eligibility and won the kicking job for the Wolfpack. He then went 25-for-25 on extra points and 16-for-18 on field goals, which included a game-winning kick versus the Miami Hurricanes. At North Carolina State, his first name was misspelled as "Steven," a spelling which he continued to use into his professional career.
Hauschka was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in 2008 to share kicking duties with Ryan Longwell in the preseason. He would later be released by the team.
Hauschka was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Ravens after being released by the Vikings. He was signed to the Ravens' practice squad on September 15, 2008. He was activated on October 30 to handle the long-range field goals and kickoffs, sharing kicking duties with longtime Ravens kicker Matt Stover. His first professional field goal attempt came on November 9, 2008, against the Houston Texans, where he successfully hit a 54-yard field goal. An exclusive-rights free agent in the 2009 off-season, Hauschka was re-signed on March 17 as the Ravens chose not to re-sign Stover. On November 17, 2009, the Ravens released Hauschka, after he missed his fourth attempt of the season (he converted 9 of 13 field goals (69.2%) in 2009) and had an extra point blocked. After his release from the Ravens, Hauschka tried out for the Atlanta Falcons on November 24, 2009, and for the Dallas Cowboys on December 21.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
