Swantavius King
 |
Swantavius King with the Sarasota Sailfish in 2050 | |
| No. 7 – Sarasota Sailfish | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Placekicker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 25, 2027 (aged 34) Richland, Washington |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Richland High School |
| College: | Auburn University (2045-2047) |
| ISFL Draft: | 2050 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2049 / Round: 3 / Pick: 3 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Swantavius King (born January 25, 2027) is an American football placekicker for the Sarasota Sailfish of the International Simulation Football League. He played college football for Auburn and was drafted by the Sailfish tenth overall in the 2050 ISFL draft.
Early years
Swantavius King is the son of former college football star Swantavius Steve and Olive Ahmed, a nuclear engineer. Since birth King has been in the public eye, as he was the product of an extramarital affair between Steve and Swantavius Logan (nee Judy) which made headlines for the somewhat prestigious footballing family. Though his upbringing was not ideal, King was welcomed into the Swantavius family with open arms and has otherwise been given every chance to succeed.
Aided by summers and weekends of coaching from his father and his half-brother Swantavius Jones, King was able to develop an aptitude for football and secure the starting quarterback role at Richland High School. King was not a blue chip prospect, yet he endeavored to continue playing football after high school to supplement his academic pursuits. In addition to playing football King also has an interest in studying military history, having grown up quite close to where the Manhattan Project B reactor was located.
College career
Though King largely played quarterback throughout his high school career, the only scholarship offer he received was from local university Cypress Creek. Wanting to play at a more prestigious institution, King instead walked onto the football team at the University of Auburn despite being buried in the depth chart with no obvious path to playing time. King's freshman year was tumultuous, as he showed up to practice out of shape despite being in football condition just a few months prior. When pressed on the matter, King revealed that he had received several free pallets of excess Swanty Shakes and Swanty Cones from his half-brother's endorsement deals and had gone through them quickly over the warm Washington summer. The frustrated coaching staff gave King an unusual ultimatum--if he failed to make weight, he would have to try his hand at another position or be released from the program. Instead of rising to the occasion, King instead put in a new order for more frozen treats and began working on his three-point stance. Fortunately King would thrive at his new position, though the relationship between the player and his coaches never fully mended. King declared for the DSFL draft after his junior season, and his time at Auburn would soon be forgotten.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Offensive Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2045 | Auburn | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2046 | Auburn | 12 | 35 | 14 |
| 2047 | Auburn | 12 | 70 | 7 |
DSFL career
2048
King was claimed on waivers at the conclusion of the trade deadline for a four game tryout with the Kansas City Coyotes. He struggled to acclimate to the pace of the game during the team's road games in Norfolk and Bondi Beach, being penalized three times in total. However, he closed out the season on a high note as the team returned to Kansas City. In wins against Dallas and Tijuana, King accrued twelve total pancakes and was not flagged for a penalty in either contest. Although the team's 7-7 record was sufficient to earn the second playoff seed in the North division, they would ultimately lose to the Minnesota Grey Ducks. King was again penalized once in this game, leading pundits to question whether crowd noise is a factor in King's ability to stay focused in critical moments. Aside from his high penalty rate, Swantavius King's trial was the Coyotes was largely a success. He maintained a high rate of pancakes per game and did not allow quarterback Trevor Lorenzen to be sacked once.
2049
The London Royals selected King in the third round with the nineteenth overall pick in the 2049 DSFL draft. He was the second offensive lineman taken, after thirteenth overall pick and fellow Kansas City waiver addition Patty Pumpernickel. After a troubling preseason showing in which King allowed two sacks, his poor play continued against his former team in Week 1 when he allowed Kaguya Shinomiya to be sacked on the Royals first offensive play of the season. Over the following week, the London coaching staff revealed that King had shown up to training camp "significantly underweight" and that he would see reduced playing time until corrective action could be taken. Having faced a similar dilemma during his time at Auburn, King again turned to creative methods to justify the organization's decision to draft him. As rookie kicker Jonathon Redding had also proved unreliable against Kansas City by missing a game-winning 40 yard field goal, the team held open kicking tryouts. King would acclimate well to the position, converting a league-high 88% of field goal attempts and recording the longest punt of the season at 65 yards. To capitalize on this moment King declared for the ISFL draft at the end of the season, claiming that he was already capable of contending with ISFL placekickers.
DSFL career statistics
| Career statistics | Offensive Line | Extra Points | Field Goals | Punts | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed | XPM | XPA | XP% | FGM | FGA | FG% | <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Lng | Punts | Yds | Avg | Inside 20 | Long |
| 2048 (S33) | Coyotes | 4 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2049 (S34) | Royals | 14 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 36 | 97.2 | 22 | 25 | 88.0 | 0/0 | 6/6 | 6/8 | 9/10 | 1/1 | 52 | 66 | 2937 | 44.5 | 23 | 65 |
ISFL career
2050
The Sarasota Sailfish selected King in the first round with the tenth overall pick in the 2050 ISFL draft. When asked to comment on selecting a kicker in the first round, Sailfish management cited a strong link with the London developmental network as well as an inability to engineer a connection with oft-maligned kicker Rainbow Dash. King was immediately given a chance to shine in the high-powered Sarasota offense, attempting a league-high 37 field goals over the course of the season. Though King's conversion rate was middling, his powerful build was often on display. The rookie kicked the longest field goal of the season (61 yards, a Sarasota franchise record), and his most impressive showing occurred when he made back-to-back 56 and 57-yard field goals to tie and subsequently take the lead in overtime against the New York Silverbacks. Feeling that his strength was at an elite level, King declared that he would dedicate himself to addressing the fundamentals of kick accuracy over his sophomore season.
2051
In his second season, King was able to make strides in both field goal kicking and punting. Although the Sarasota offense kept King to a low volume of punting opportunities, he still maintained a punting average of 49.8 yards (at the time, the ninth-highest punting average of all time). His most notable punt came in Week 8 against the Austin Copperheads, when King launched a franchise record 72-yard punt en route to a 31-9 victory for the Sailfish. Strangely, King attributed his punting success to his primary focus on field goals, citing "muscle memory" as the key to punting consistency. King set two ISFL playoff records in Sarasota's narrow wildcard victory against the Yellowknife Wraiths, making six of seven field goals (previous records of five field goals made set by Cristiano Ronaldo in Ultimus Bowl II and six field goals attempted set by Herbert Prohaska in the 2038 divisional round). At the end of the season, King was quoted as saying "It was an all-around better season for me individually as well as the team. Most people already put me in the same category as Doink and Tate, but I really think next season will be where I set myself apart from the rest of the kickers in the league."
2052
King did not make himself available to the media after Sarasota's season finale. Despite the team's league-best record of 12-4, the third-year kicker took a step back and seemed to struggle mightily on long range attempts, missing as many field goals from 50 or more yards as he did in first two seasons combined. Nevertheless, his punting acumen did not seem to wane. King's standout play from this season occurred in Week 7, when the Sailfish hosted the Baltimore Hawks. On a 4th down from inside the Sarasota five-yard line, King launched a punt that Baltimore returner Dante King did not field. The ball eventually came to rest at the Hawks six-yard line, officially being tabulated as an 89 yard punt. Only the seventh punt in league history to exceed 80 yards, this kick shattered the previous longest punt record of 81 yards set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. With King's rookie contract expiring, Sarasota tendered a one-year deal to further assess the trajectory of the kicker's career in 2053.
2053
After earning a second team All-Pro nod for his punting volume in his third season, King improved in this area by finishing the season with a punting average of 49.5 yards, 1.9 yards higher than his nearest competitor. Media pundits largely agreed that he would be a consensus All-Pro punter as the season concluded. King had another typical kicking season, making 85.7% of his field goals. Most of his misses occurred on kicks over 50 yards, which King cited as an area to improve upon going into his next season. Noting his own proclivity to record too many touchbacks on his punts, he also stated that the team had retained former All-Pro kicker Jacob Small as a punting specialist to assist him with working on precision punting inside the 20 yard line. King was rewarded with a lifetime contract from the Sarasota Sailfish, becoming the highest paid kicker in the league.
2054
Swantavius King had another standout season as the ISFL's leading punter in terms of average. He finished the season with a punting average of 49.4 yards per punt, leading the league and eclipsing the 49-yard mark for the third season in his career. In the kicking game King struggled on field goals from 40 to 49 yards, missing a league-leading five field goals from this distance. His trademark power was on display throughout the season, most notably in Sarasota's divisional round loss to the Chicago Butchers. In the second quarter King made a 63-yard field goal, just two yards shy of the record set by Blago Kokot in 2043. King would infamously go on to miss a game-winning 61-yard field goal in this game and spoke to reporters at the end of the game. "Do I feel like I let my teammates down? Yes. But on the other hand, there is no one else in the league that could have made that kick, so it makes me feel like Coach has a lot of confidence in me to even give me the opportunity. It didn't go our way this time, so all we can do is keep working to make it back here next season."
2055
Swantavius King had a mixed season for the Sarasota Sailfish, who failed to live up to their preseason expectations. King began the season strong, making his first 19 field goal attempts. However, as the season progressed, he began to struggle and ended the season missing 7 of his final 17 attempts. By the end of the season King had missed more field goals from 40 to 49 yards than any other kicker in the league, leading many fans on social media to publicly question whether the player was worth his relatively lofty salary. Despite recording a point differential of +136 Sarasota was unable to secure a playoff spot, finishing the season at 8-7-1 and setting a record for the highest PD ever for a team that did not qualify for the postseason. This season marked the end of the Carter Knight era in Sarasota, and the Sailfish took advantage of the offseason to begin intensively training under their new signal caller, Willier Miller.
2056
In the 2056 ISFL season, Swantavius King achieved the highest field goal percentage of his career, making an impressive 90% of his attempts. His reliable leg scored 152 points for the Sailfish, also a high point in King's career eclipsing his previous high of 149 from the 2054 season. Surprisingly, King continually finds himself more comfortable and confident when kicking beyond the 50-yard mark, showcasing his extraordinary power and accuracy. King's last miss from 50+ yards came in Week 13 of the 2054 season, and he has made seven consecutive attempts from that distance. By contrast, King has made just 61% of his attempts from 40 to 49 yards during that same span of time. Adding to the excitement of the season was the emergence of rookie quarterback Willier Miller, who led the Sailfish to an unexpected playoff appearance. Miller's impressive performances and leadership breathed new life into the team, providing King with more opportunities to showcase his kicking prowess.
2057
Swantavius King had a historic punting season in 2057, establishing himself as one of the all-time great punters in the ISFL. He averaged 51.2 yards per punt, which was the best season in league history. He also simultaneously placed 51.5% of his punts inside the 20-yard line, which was the first time he had been above 50%. King also tied Booter McGavin for the league lead in field goals made, converting 31 of 35 attempts. Immediately after the season ended, King was named as the Pro Bowl kicker and punter for the NSFC and is favored to be named to the All-Pro team as the league's best punter. Despite his statistical success through the course of the season, King expressed displeasure with his performance after the Sailfish were eliminated in their Week 16 loss against the Baltimore Hawks. He took responsibility for the team's first loss to the Hawks, where he missed two field goals in a game that was decided by a single point. "I feel like if I had converted either of those, we would be back in the postseason right now."
2058
In 2058, King went 28/32 on field goal attempts and had a punting average of 46.9 yards. Notably, King had two standout games this season. In week 10 against the Arizona Outlaws, he had 9 punts for 514 yards (a personal high for him), with 7 of them landing inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In week 16 against the Berlin Fire Salamanders, he made a perfect 7 of 7 field goals, tying an ISFL record for most field goals made in a single game. King's performances in both of these games helped Sarasota secure hard-fought victories en route to an 8-8 season. Unfortunately this was not sufficient to make the playoffs, as the Sailfish lost on tiebreakers to the 8-8 Colorado Yeti for the 3rd seed in the close NSFC playoff hunt. King was selected to his 3rd straight Pro Bowl and has now made the Pro Bowl in five of the last six seasons.
2059
By field goal percentage Swantavius King had a subpar season, attributed largely to going 6/12 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards. This resulted in a 81.1% conversion rate overall, as King missed seven field goals for the third time in his career. King somewhat salvaged his season by having an elite punting performance, boasting a league-leading 49.7 average yards per punt. King was named to the Pro Bowl as the starting punter and is very likely to capture a third consecutive first team All-Pro selection. King's best performance this season came in Week 4 when the Sailfish hosted the Baltimore Hawks. King was able to make a last-minute 64-yard field goal to send the game into overtime, where he then kicked a game-winning field goal to secure the victory. King appeared in his ninth career playoff game this season, as the Sailfish fell to to the Baltimore Hawks in the divisional round.
2060
2060 was the best kicking season of Swantavius King's long career. He missed just three field goals, a career best for the 11-year veteran. This secured a field goal percentage of 92.3%, the highest rate of any kicker in the league this season, as well as a career high for King. With just a couple of seasons remaining prior to his retirement, King's longevity has allowed him to eclipse or draw near to several long-standing league records that he could merely dream of when kicking in a professional capacity for the first time 11 years ago. The retirement of King's cousin, Swantavius Payne, reportedly cast a melancholy mood over the placekicker. "The only things I have left to accomplish personally will come naturally over the next couple of years. All I can say is that it'd be nice for Coach to be on the other end of the Ultimus before my time is up." King joined teammate Lucius Salem, who retired after the season, at a 0-3 record in the Ultimus as the Sailfish fell to the Austin Copperheads in overtime.
2061
In starting his 12th season, Swantavius King had eclipsed the typical career length for almost all ISFL placekickers and began to accumulate career accolades. Chief among these was the all-time points record long held by Otters legend Alex Dasistwirklichseinnachname. King ended the season with a career total of 1,627 points, 72 ahead of the Orange County Hall of Famer. Despite the many statistical accolades, the season for King and his Sailfish ended in tragedy. Hosting the Yellowknife Wraiths in the wild card round, King was injured while attempting to tackle Wraiths punt returner Money Tolliver late in the 4th quarter. On Sarasota's final drive, King was unable to take the field for a game-winning field goal attempt from the 5-yard line. Instead, the Sailfish failed to convert the 4th down play before losing the game in overtime. In a somber postgame conference, Swantavius King announced that he would play the 9th and final year of his contract before retiring at the conclusion of the 2062-63 season.
ISFL career statistics
| Career statistics | Extra Points | Field Goals | Punts | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | XPM | XPA | XP% | FGM | FGA | FG% | <20 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ | Lng | Punts | Yds | Avg | Inside 20 | Long |
| 2050 (S35) | Sailfish | 16 | 55 | 56 | 98.2 | 31 | 37 | 83.8 | 1/1 | 7/7 | 9/10 | 11/13 | 3/6 | 61 | 69 | 3193 | 46.3 | 27 | 68 |
| 2051 (S36) | Sailfish | 16 | 49 | 50 | 98.0 | 29 | 33 | 87.9 | 2/2 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 8/10 | 4/6 | 53 | 73 | 3633 | 49.8 | 29 | 72 |
| 2052 (S37) | Sailfish | 16 | 52 | 53 | 98.1 | 22 | 31 | 71.0 | 1/1 | 7/7 | 3/3 | 7/11 | 4/9 | 62 | 68 | 3190 | 46.9 | 34 | 89 |
| 2053 (S38) | Sailfish | 16 | 53 | 54 | 98.1 | 24 | 28 | 85.7 | 2/2 | 8/8 | 2/2 | 9/10 | 3/6 | 59 | 77 | 3814 | 49.5 | 34 | 69 |
| 2054 (S39) | Sailfish | 16 | 53 | 53 | 100.0 | 32 | 39 | 82.1 | 2/2 | 11/11 | 9/9 | 8/13 | 2/4 | 62 | 79 | 3904 | 49.4 | 39 | 76 |
| 2055 (S40) | Sailfish | 16 | 48 | 48 | 100.0 | 29 | 36 | 80.6 | 3/3 | 9/9 | 7/7 | 7/14 | 3/3 | 52 | 78 | 3801 | 48.7 | 29 | 72 |
| 2056 (S41) | Sailfish | 16 | 44 | 45 | 97.8 | 36 | 40 | 90.0 | 4/4 | 10/10 | 9/9 | 9/13 | 4/4 | 53 | 66 | 3118 | 47.2 | 29 | 78 |
| 2057 (S42) | Sailfish | 16 | 46 | 47 | 97.9 | 31 | 35 | 88.6 | 3/3 | 9/9 | 5/5 | 11/13 | 3/5 | 57 | 68 | 3480 | 51.2 | 35 | 72 |
| 2058 (S43) | Sailfish | 16 | 44 | 44 | 100.0 | 28 | 32 | 87.5 | 1/1 | 6/6 | 7/8 | 11/12 | 3/5 | 63 | 72 | 3380 | 46.9 | 30 | 71 |
| 2059 (S44) | Sailfish | 16 | 39 | 39 | 100.0 | 30 | 37 | 81.1 | 1/1 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 6/12 | 5/6 | 64 | 78 | 3875 | 49.7 | 37 | 72 |
| 2060 (S45) | Sailfish | 16 | 45 | 45 | 100.0 | 36 | 39 | 92.3 | 1/1 | 12/12 | 8/8 | 11/12 | 4/6 | 53 | 75 | 3560 | 47.5 | 29 | 73 |
| 2061 (S46) | Sailfish | 16 | 37 | 38 | 97.4 | 26 | 32 | 81.2 | 1/1 | 8/8 | 8/8 | 6/11 | 3/4 | 58 | 75 | 3628 | 48.4 | 35 | 72 |
Achievements and records
ISFL records
- 2051; Divisional round: Set ISFL record for most field goals made in a playoff game (6)
- 2051; Divisional round: Set ISFL record for most field goals attempted in a playoff game (7)
- 2051; Conference championship: Set ISFL record for most field goals made in a postseason (11)
- 2051; Ultimus Bowl XXXVI: Set ISFL record for most points scored in a postseason (39)
- 2052; Week 7: Set ISFL record for longest punt (89 yards)
- 2057; Week 3: Tied ISFL record for most field goals attempted in a game (7)
- 2057; Week 16: Set ISFL record for highest punting average in a single season (51.2 yards)
- 2058; Week 10: Tied ISFL record for most punts inside opponent's 20 yard line in a game (7)
- 2058; Week 16: Tied ISFL record for most field goals made in a game (7)
Sarasota Sailfish franchise records
- 2050; Week 14: Set SAR franchise record for longest field goal made (61 yards)
- 2051; Week 8: Set SAR franchise record for longest punt (72 yards)
- 2051; Week 16: Set SAR franchise record for season punting average (49.8 yards)
- 2051; Divisional round: Set SAR franchise record for longest field goal made in a postseason (61 yards)
- 2051; Conference championship: Set SAR franchise record for most field goals attempted in a postseason (12)
- 2052; Week 6: Set SAR franchise record for longest field goal made (62 yards)
- 2054; Divisional round: Set SAR franchise record for longest field goal made in a postseason (63 yards)
- 2057; Week 3: Set SAR franchise record for most field goals made in a game (6)
- 2057; Week 3: Set SAR franchise record for most field goals attempted in a game (7)
- 2058; Week 7: Set SAR franchise record for longest field goal made (63 yards)
- 2058; Week 16: Set SAR franchise record for most field goals made in a game (7)
