José Cortez


José Antonio Cortez is a former American football placekicker. Cortez played for twelve different teams in four different leagues from 1999 until 2005. He is distinguished as being the first Salvadoran to play in the National Football League.

College career

Cortez 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.

Professional career

Jose Cortez 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 49ers in 2001, before being released the following season. He signed with the Washington Redskins after getting cut by San Francisco and played the remainder of the 2002 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, David Akers, and Joe Nedney, 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. Cortez is one of two players to have played in the NFL, Arena Football League, NFL Europe, and XFL. After retiring from the NFL, Cortez joined the Oregon State Police as a Trooper. Graduating from the Oregon State Police Academy in December 2007, he began patrol in May 2008, receiving his trooper stripes in January 2009.

Career statistics

Regular season

* XFL rules prohibited extra-point kicks.

Post NFL career

Following his NFL career, Cortez became a state trooper in Oregon. Cortez was fired in 2013 after being sentenced to seven days in jail for official misconduct on the job. Cortez was accused of fondling a woman during a DUI stop. He also received one year of probation.