Colorado football starting kicker James Stefanou has announced that he is retiring from football as of Nov. 9.
The news comes just two days after Colorado’s season-opening win against UCLA. In his final game, Stefanou made all five of his extra point attempts but missed two field goals, one blocked, in the 48-42 victory.
— James Stefanou (@jstefanou15) November 10, 2020
At 33 years old, Stefanou is the oldest player in the NCAA this season. After the game, Stefanou spoke with head coach Karl Dorrell to inform him that he would be retiring from football immediately.
“James feels that he can no longer physically perform as well as he would like and has decided to end his career,” Dorrell said. “He has been a valuable member of the team for three years, and we understand why he has made this choice. We certainly wish him nothing but the best.”
Stefanou ends his career as one of the most highly ranked kickers in all kicking statistics in Colorado football history. He finished first in PAT percentage (.990) and fourth in field goal percentage (.891). He also finished with the third most PAT kicks made (97) and the fifth-most field goals made (34). To round out a stellar kicking career, Stefanou finishes eighth all-time on the school’s scoring totals with 199 points, the fourth-most by a kicker.
Probably the most memorable moment of Stefanou’s career was back on Sept. 7, 2019, when he made what would end up being the game-winning field goal in overtime to beat the longtime rival Nebraska Cornhuskers. It was one of the few times the students have rushed the field at Folsom Field.
“What an honour it was to wear the CU colours and represent this amazing program,” Stefanou said on Twitter. “From the moment I entered the doors in 2017 absolutely everybody was supportive and welcoming to me and my wife and we will never forget that, CU is my family and will always hold a place right at the front of my heart. I hope I could repay our awesome fans and everyone involved with this school by providing some moments that brought joy and happiness.”
Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com
