José Antonio Cortéz (born May 27, 1975 in San Vicente, El Salvador) is an American football placekicker who last played for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League during the 2005 season.

[edit] College career

Cortéz started at Los Angeles Valley College, where he was both the kicker and punter. He later transferred to Oregon State University, where he was a two-year letterman. His junior season he made honorable mention All-Pac-10 team after converting 11 of 19 field goal attempts.

[edit] Professional career

Cortez has had an extensive journeyman career. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns prior to the 1999 NFL season. After being cut by the Browns, signed and cut by the San Diego Chargers, he made the practice squad of the New York Giants. After appearing in one game for them, he was allocated to NFL Europe, where he played for the Amsterdam Admirals. Upon returning to the Giants, he was released, re-signed with the Chargers, and was re-released. After being released by the Chargers again, he joined the Los Angeles Xtreme of the brand-new XFL. Cortez, along with quarterback Tommy Maddox, led the Xtreme to a 7-3 record and the XFL title; Cortez also led the league in scoring with 20 field goals. Cortez earned Most Valuable Player honors in the championship game, kicking four field goals. Cortez's success in the XFL earned him a starting spot with the San Francisco 49ers, who signed Cortez before the 2001 NFL season. He played in every game for the Niners, before being released following the season. He signed with the Washington Redskins just after the start of the 2002 season. He played the remainder of the season for Washington. He spent the next two years with the Minnesota Vikings. After being cut by Minnesota, he briefly kicked for the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League before returning to NFL action. The Colts were his fourth team of the 2005 NFL season; he has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and 49ers. The main reason for Cortez's moves is that he is usually signed as a fill-in while the starting kicker is injured; previously he has substituted for Billy Cundiff (Dallas), David Akers (Philadelphia), and Joe Nedney (San Francisco), and was used primarily on kickoffs for the Colts while fellow former Colt Mike Vanderjagt handled PATs and field goals. He was released by the Colts on April 3, 2006.[1] Cortez is one of the few players to have played in the NFL, Arena Football League, NFL Europe, and XFL. Recently divorced, and retired from the NFL, Jose has begun to make a new life for himself. He has moved on to start a new chapter of his life as an Oregon State Police Officer. Graduating from the Oregon State Police Academy in December 2007, he has been on patrol since May 2008, receiving his trooper stripes in January 2009.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season

* XFL rules prohibited extra-point kicks.

[edit] External links

• Jose Cortez at ESPN.com
• Jose Cortez at Colts.com