Nick Lowery

Dominic Gerald "Nick" Lowery is a former NFL placekicker, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs, and a leadership speaker. At retirement he ranked among the most accurate kickers in league history.

Lowery was born May 27, 1956, in Munich, West Germany, to American parents and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He attended St. Albans School, then kicked for Dartmouth College from 1975 to 1977. He converted 22 of 37 field goals and all 51 extra-point attempts, earned two All-Ivy League selections, and as a junior in 1976 made all eight of his field goals, including a 51-yarder against Harvard.

After college, eight NFL teams cut or rejected him 11 times. While he waited he worked as a legislative aide on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, focusing on aviation deregulation and safety — one of the few non-attorneys in that role. The Chiefs signed him in 1980 while he was still on Capitol Hill.

He played 18 seasons and 260 games with the New England Patriots (1978), Chiefs (1980–1993), and New York Jets (1994–1996). He made 383 of 479 field goals (80.0 percent) and 562 of 568 extra points for 1,711 career points, with three Pro Bowls, seven All-Pro selections (two first-team), 20 field goals of 50 yards or longer, and more than 15 game-winning kicks. He is the Chiefs' all-time leading scorer (1,466 points) and posted 11 seasons of 100 or more points in Kansas City. In 1990 he led the NFL in scoring (139 points) and field-goal percentage (91.9 percent). He made game-winning field goals in all three of his Pro Bowl appearances.

After football he earned a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, with a fellowship in conflict resolution, leadership, and youth development. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.