Bjorn Merten

Bjorn Merten is an American former college football placekicker who played for the UCLA Bruins. He was a consensus All-American in 1993 as a freshman.

Early life

Merten attended Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia.[1][2] He played both kicker and quarterback in high school.[3] He originally planned on continuing the family tradition of attending the United States Naval Academy.[3] Merten wanted to be a pilot in the Navy but failed a depth perception test.[3] As a result, he decided to instead attend the University of California, Los Angeles.[3]

College career

Merten was a four-year letterman for the UCLA Bruins from 1993 to 1996.[4] He won the starting kicking job only four days before the start of his fresman year.[3] As a freshman in 1993, he converted 20 of 25 field goals and 31 of 34 extra points.[5] He led the Pac 10 in scoring and field goal conversions that year, earning first-team All-Pac 10 honors.[5][6] Merten was named a consensus All-American for the 1993 season.[7][8] He scored 12 of 21 field goals and 24 of 26 extra points in 1994.[5] During the 1995 season, he made 10 of 16 field goals and 34 of 35 extra poins.[5] His 34 extra points were the most in the Pac 10 that year.[5] As a senior in 1996, Merten recorded 14 of 19 field goals and 38 of 40 extra points.[5] Merten led the Pac 10 in field goal percentage with 73.7% and in field goals made with 14.[5] He garnered first-team All-Pac-10 recognition for the 1996 season.[9]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 1997 NFL draft, Merten attended rookie minicamp on a tryout basis with the Washington Redskins but was not signed.[10]

References

  1. ^ "1991 All-Met Football Team". The Washington Post. December 12, 1991. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  2. ^ "1992 RT Rankings". techsideline.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hodges, Jim (September 9, 1993). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : UCLA : Merten Can't Fly, but He Can Kick". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "BJORN MERTEN". bruingold.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Bjorn Merten". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "All-Pac-10". Corvallis Gazette-Times. December 2, 1993. p. B2. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  8. ^ "#37 • BJORN MERTEN" (PDF). uclabruins.com. p. 118. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  9. ^ "Sanderson, Darling, Tims named to Pac-10 first team". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. November 26, 1996. p. 3B.
  10. ^ "Skins camp notable for its absentees". The Daily Progress. April 28, 1997. pp. C6. Retrieved May 23, 2025.