Player Profile

GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs): 1997 (16/0), 1998 (16/0, 1/0), 1999 (16/0, 1/0), 2000 (16/0, 2/0 - N.O.), 2001 (16/0 - N.O.), 2002 (15/0 - N.O.). Total - 95/0, 4/0 (Dallas-48/0, 2/0).

PRO: Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by Dallas in 1997, Gowin has developed into a proven veteran in handling kickoff and punting duties. After three seasons in New Orleans, Gowin returned to his Texas roots this year, signing as an unrestricted free agent. He provides Dallas a solid foundation in the punting game and a strong leg on kickoffs. Gowin has completed each of his six NFL seasons with a gross average of more than 41-plus yards-per-punt.

2002: Gowin enjoyed another solid season in handling both punting and kickoff chores for the Saints, posting a 41.9 punting average. That figured tied him for 11th in the NFL, seventh in the NFC in gross punting, and his career-best 36.9 yard net average placed him seventh in the NFL, sixth in the NFC. As a kickoff man, his six touchbacks tied him for seventh in the NFL. While a quadricep injury kept him out of the season opener at Tampa Bay (9/8) - the only game he has missed in his six year career - he returned to action against Green Bay (9/15) and punted four times for a 40.5 yard average, including one inside the 20-yard line. At Chicago (9/22), he recorded five punts for a 43.0 yard mark. His five punts at Detroit (9/29), included one inside the 20 and averaged 40.4 yards a kick. Gowin recorded his first special teams tackle of the season against Pittsburgh (10/6) while punting three times for a 49.0 yard average. Gowin's only punt of the day against Atlanta (10/27) traveled 44 yards and pinned the Falcons inside the 20-yard line. He also added his second special teams tackle of the year. Gowin punted a season-high eight times for a 46.5 yard average at Carolina (11/10) Three of his five punts at Baltimore (12/8) landed inside the Ravens' 20-yard line, and he also added two special teams tackles in the game. Gowin posted a nice 46.3 yard average on three punts against Minnesota (12/15), including one inside the 20-yard line. At Cincinnati (12/22), he punted six times for 234 yards, including two inside the 20-yard line and had one special teams tackle. Gowin wrapped up the season with seven punts against Carolina (12/29), placing two inside the 20 and averaging 43.6 yards-per-kick on the day.

2001: Gowin saw action in all 16 games for the Saints handling punting and kickoff duties. He averaged 41.8 yards on 76 punts (3,180 yards) and had just seven touchbacks, a figure demonstrating his ability to accurately pinpoint punts. Gowin punted a season-high eight times for a 43.5-yard average, including two inside the 20, at Carolina (10/14). His six punts against Atlanta (10/21) included two inside the 20. Gowin had a season-high four punts inside the 20 among his seven punts against the N.Y. Jets (11/4), and he then downed three-of-five punts inside the 20-yard line in a 28-10 win at Atlanta (12/9). Gowin had a Saints career-long 62-yard boot against Washington (12/30).

2000: Gowin posted a 41.1 yards-per-kick average in his first season with the Saints, kicking 74 times for 3,043 yards. He finished seventh in the NFC in punting average and tied for fifth in the NFL for fewest touchbacks with eight. He tied for sixth in the NFC with 22 punts placed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Demonstrating his overall athletic ability, Gowin also finished tied for fourth on the Saints with a career-high 11 special teams tackles. His best effort of the season came against Detroit (9/3) when he punted seven times for 340 yards and a 48.6-yard average with one punt inside the 20-yard line and recorded a season-long 58-yard punt. He placed four-of-seven punts inside the 20-yard line against Philadelphia (9/24). In two postseason games, Gowin had 11 punts for 441 yards, including three inside the 20-yard line. In the NFC Wild Card game against St. Louis (12/30), he had six punts for 246 yards and a 41.0 average, tying a postseason career-high in punts.

1999: Gowin again proved to be one of the top punters in the NFL, ranking second in the NFC and seventh in the NFL with a 43.2 gross punting average. He booted 81 punts for 3,500 yards, with a long of 64, and put 24 of his kicks inside-the-20 while totaling just 10 touchbacks. His 43.2 average marked the fifth-best season average in Cowboys history. Gowin closed out the season by landing 11 of his last 20 regular season punts inside the opponents 20-yard line. His 24 inside the 20 ranked fourth in the NFC and 12th in the NFL. He also had at least one punt of 50+ yards in 14-of-17 games on the year, including playoffs. On 71 kickoffs, he averaged 67.3 yards-per-kick, including 12 touchbacks. Dallas opponents' average starting position was the 24.0-yard line, second-best in the NFL. Against Atlanta (9/20), Gowin helped limit Tim Dwight, who ranked third in the NFL in kickoff returns in 1998, to a 16.7-yard average on four kickoffs. Against Arizona (10/3), he had six punts and six kickoffs, helping to pin the Cardinals inside their 20-yard line six times on the day (twice on punts, four times on kickoffs). Four other times he had them pinned inside their 30. He had a season-long 64-yard punt at the N.Y. Giants (10/18). Gowin averaged a season-high 53.3 gross yards (four minimum) against Washington (10/24), earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. The 53.3 yard average was the third-best single-game average in Cowboys history. In that game he also posted a career-high 45.3 yard net average with four punts for 213 yards and one touchback. He then tied a career-high and club record with five punts inside-the-20 against Philadelphia (12/12). On 12 drives the Eagles began following punts or kickoffs, eight began at or inside the Eagles 20-yard line, and his kickoffs helped limit Allen Rossum, the NFL's fifth leading kickoff return man with a 25.2 average, to 16.0 yards on three kickoff returns and 5.0 yards on two punt returns. Gowin punted a season-high seven times against the N.Y. Jets (12/19).

1998: After setting two club records as a rookie, Gowin suffered no sophomore slump in 1998, establishing a Cowboys record for punts downed inside-the-20 in a season with 31 (on 77 punts). That broke the mark of 28 set by Mike Saxon in 1986 (on 86 punts). The record breaking figure placed him third in the NFC and fourth in the NFL, and as an average (31-of-77 punts), his 40.3% figure of punts downed inside the 20 was the second best total in the NFC and third best in the NFL. He also improved his numbers in net and gross average, tying for seventh in the NFC in gross punting at 43.3 yards-per-punt - an improvement of 1.6 yards-per-punt over his rookie average. He also tied for seventh in the NFC in net punting at 36.6 yards-per-punt - an increase of 1.2 yards-per-punt. On kickoffs, he averaged 67.6 yards (inside the three-yard line) on 82 regular season kickoffs, including 17 touchbacks. The opponent's average starting field position following his kickoffs was the 22.4-yard line, lowest in the NFL. His 17 touchbacks was the sixth best figure in the NFC, eighth best total in the NFL. Gowin opened the year against Arizona (9/6) by averaging a season-high 49.5 yards on four punts and ended the day with a season-high 44.8-yard net punting average. He helped limit Cardinals return man Eric Metcalf to 19 yards on four punt returns (4.8 avg.) and 41 yards on three kickoff returns (13.7 avg.). Five of his seven kickoffs went into the end zone, resulting in four touchbacks and starting field position for the Cardinals at the 20, 20, 13, 20, 20, 15 and 19-yard lines. He put five-of-six kickoffs into the end zone at Denver (9/13), resulting in four more touchbacks and averaged 51.0 yards on two punts, but his biggest play of the game came on a 33-yard run from punt formation in the third quarter that kept alive a drive and eventually led to a field goal. Gowin had a career high nine punts at the N.Y. Giants (9/21). Beginning his inside the 20 run, Gowin placed four-of-five punts inside the 20 against Oakland (9/27). By putting three-of-six kickoffs into the end zone at Washington (10/4), Gowin logged one touchback and helped limit Brian Mitchell to a 17.8-yard kickoff return average. He also averaged 48 yards on four punts. With a season-long 65 yard punt at Chicago (10/18), Gowin averaged 44.6 yards on seven punts. Between kickoffs and punts, Gowin kept the Eagles in bad field position all night (avg. drive start was the Eagles 21) at Philadelphia (11/2), averaging 46 yards on six punts, including two inside the 20. He topped that the next week by limiting the N.Y. Giants (11/8) to 15.6 yards-per-kickoff return on five kickoffs, and giving the Giants an average starting field position following punts and kickoffs at the 18-yard line. Gowin finished the year out with an incredible run of success, downing 19 of his last 32 punts inside opponents 20-yard line. In addition, five of the remaining 13 punts were touchbacks, leaving opponents with 80 or more yards to go for a touchdown 75.0% of the time. One of Gowin's best all-around performances of the season came at New Orleans (12/6) when he averaged 45.6 yards on seven punts - including three inside the Saints 10-yard line. He also had touchbacks on both his kickoffs. Four times at Kansas City (12/13), Gowin pinned the Chiefs inside their 20-yard line, and he averaged 43.8 yards on five punts. He also suffered the only blocked punt of his career in the second quarter, snapping a string of 152 consecutive punts without a block. For the second straight week, and the third time of the season, Gowin had four of his punts downed inside the opponents 20-yard line when he accomplished the feat against Philadelphia (12/20). That total gave him 29 for the season, breaking Saxon's club record. He also held Brian Mitchell to an 11.4 average on five kickoff returns. In his first career playoff game, Gowin broke yet another Dallas punting record when he established a single-game postseason club record with four punts downed inside the 20-yard line against Arizona (1/2/99). He averaged 41.3 yards-per-punt (39.5 net) on six kicks for the day.

1997: Gowin finished his first NFL campaign by establishing a Dallas rookie record for punts in a season with 86, breaking Mike Saxon's rookie mark of 81 set in 1985 and tying Saxon's club record for punts in a season set in 1986. At 41.8 yards-per-punt, Gowin posted the third highest average by a rookie punter in Dallas history, and he also finished second in the NFL among all rookie punters with a 35.4-yard net average. In addition to handling the punting chores for Dallas, Gowin was responsible for kickoff duties, putting his average kickoff inside the four-yard line and helping Dallas lead the NFL with an opponent's average drive start coming at the 22.5-yard line. His 12 touchbacks on 78 kickoffs were the seventh best figure in the NFC and 11th best in the NFL. His very first NFL punt went 54 yards at Pittsburgh (8/31), and he finished the day with a 46.3-yard average (41.3 net) on four punts. He also had three touchbacks on eight kickoffs. The next week at Arizona (9/7), Gowin averaged 46.8 yards on a season-high eight punts, including four 50+ yarders, and he added three more touchbacks on six kickoffs. The biggest day of Gowin's young career came against Chicago (9/28), when he established a club record by averaging 55.3 yards-per-punt (six punts for 332 yards), topping the mark of 53.4 set by Ron Widby against New Orleans on Nov. 3, 1968. That average included a 72-yard punt, which was the second longest punt in the NFC in 1997 and the longest by a Cowboy since Danny White hit a 73-yarder against the L.A. Rams on Oct. 14, 1979. He also posted a season-high 44.8 net average against the Bears. Gowin's record setting performances continued on Monday Night Football at Washington (10/13). By placing five of his six punts inside the Redskins' 20-yard line, he tied the club record for punts inside the 20 in a game. Washington's starting field position following punts that night came at the 17, 20, one, seven, 18 and 12-yard lines. Gowin didn't limit his play to punting the ball, recording a key special teams tackle at Philadelphia (10/26) to bring down Mark Seay following a 33-yard punt return. In the cold wind of Lambeau Field, Gowin averaged 43.0 yards-per-punt on six kicks at Green Bay (11/23). He then came back four days later and averaged 46.5 yards-per-punt (41.8 net) against Tennessee (11/27) on Thanksgiving Day. Gowin took over the holding duties on field goals and extra points in the second quarter against Carolina (12/8) when Eric Bjornson suffered a fractured left fibula.

COLLEGE: As a senior at North Texas, Gowin earned All-Big West first-team honors after ranking 15th in the nation with a 44.3 yard average on 89 punts. He was also named to the Associated Press All-America third team, becoming the first Eagle to earn major college All-America honors since NFL Hall of Famer Joe Greene in 1969. Gowin had a career-long 92-yard punt against Vanderbilt. As a junior, he ranked 19th in the nation with a 42.1 yard average. Gowin was an Academic All-Southland Conference choice as a sophomore.

PERSONAL: Gowin was an all-state, all-east Texas and all-district kicker at Jacksonville, Texas, High School. As a senior, he averaged 38.5 yards-per-punt while converting 30-of-32 extra point attempts and five-of-eight field goals. He received his degree in kinesiology from the University of North Texas. While a Dallas Cowboy, Gowin served as a football coach in the clubs' annual Let Us Play! Sports Camp for 150 girls from non-profit agencies in the Dallas area and participated in the annual Joannie Hatcher Memorial Golf Tournament, which benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Gowin was inducted into the University of North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. Gowin's wife, Nikki, spent the 1995 season on the sidelines at Texas Stadium as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. The Gowin's have a son, Jaeger Brooks (6/7/02).