Mat McBriar (born July 8, 1979 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian American football punter in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys.
McBriar began as an Australian rules football player, playing Australian rules for Brighton Grammar School. At one stage, he entered a junior superkick competition, finishing 3rd overall.
He later moved to Hawaii, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys from the University of Hawaii.
In 2006, McBriar made headlines with a 75 yard punt which made the record books as the second longest in Cowboys' history.blank">http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/wireless/story/0,8262,10-20616377,00.html Also in 2006, he has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice for his outstanding punting ability.
In December 2006, McBriar was only the second ever Australian player to be selected in the _Pro Bowl, as Punter for the NFC team.http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20958233-5001023,00.html His league leading 48.2 yards per punt average in 2006 was the highest the NFL had seen in 43 seasons.
On February 28, 2007, the Cowboys extended McBriar's contract to a 5-year, $8.5 million contract. He also received a $2.5 million signing bonus. This contract makes McBriar the highest-paid punter in the league.
