What does Josh Scobee have in common with Shaquille O’ Neal? Not much, really, other than the fact that both men are well-known professional athletes, and Josh Scobee’s game-winning 59-yard field goal against the Indianapolis Colts was approximately 25 times Shaq’s height. The 29-year-old Texas native has called Jacksonville home since 2004, and since then, the eighth-season Jaguars kicker has earned over 700 points. When he isn’t sending field goal kicks into the endzone, Scobee stays involved in the community by attending various charity events and regularly visiting with patients and families at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.Here are a few extra points we learned about the owner of Jacksonville’s most famous feet.
• Even off the field, the man loves a good pair of athletic shoes. “I love all Nike stuff. I’m a tennis shoes type of guy.”
• His number one fan doesn’t need a #10 jersey to prove his loyalty; he gets to wear the Scobee name for life. Josh and his wife, Melissa, welcomed their son Jacob on August 15. “I used to look at other people’s kids and want my own, but I wasn’t in too big of a hurry to have them. Now that we have our own, it’s truly a blessing.”
• A strong work ethic runs in the Scobee family. “My mom raised me, my brother and two sisters when my dad died. She had to work a couple of jobs to support us, and she’s someone that I look to for advice.”
• Scobee read his share of sociology books at Louisiana Tech, but looking back, he would change his major to business. “If I could go back, I would focus more on academics. A lot of people didn’t take it too seriously, and that’s something that now I’ll teach my son—to take it more seriously than his dad did.”
• Prior to joining the NFL, Scobee worked in the frozen treats industry. His first job was at a snow cone stand at age 15, and he later worked at a Baskin Robbins before leaving for college.
• The all-star kicker considers “Salt Shaker” by the Ying Yang Twins his unofficial theme song.
• He’s a self-proclaimed gentleman of leisure sports, particularly bowling, billiards, darts and golf. “I’m good at just about anyhing that involves drinking a beer.”
