Robbie Gould

MILL HALL — Robbie Gould is back in the spotlight — and Clinton County is watching.

The Central Mountain High School graduate will be one of the key players for the San Francisco 49ers when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday. The game will kick off around 6:30 p.m. and will be televised nationwide by FOX.

The 37-year-old Clinton County native is back in his second Super Bowl. He’s hoping that this trip turns out better than his last when he was a member of the Chicago Bears. The Bears, of course, lost Super Bowl XLI, falling to the Indianapolis Colts.

Gould has played for the Bears, New York Giants and now, the 49ers. His career has taken him from the East Coast to the West Coast. He signed with the 49ers last July. His contract made him the highest paid kicker in the NFL, inking a contract with $10.5 million guaranteed.

He recognizes that he’s extremely fortunate. A long career. A rich contract. A Super Bowl trip.

“I think a lot of it is just being able to be in three different organizations that have a rich history and three total different ways of operating and doing business and understanding all the logistics and understanding what the new NFL is all about,” Gould said at Super Bowl Media Day earlier this week. “I’ve always loved the business side of football.”

The 2019 season has been one of the most memorable of Gould’s long career. He has connected on 23-of-31 field goals and 41-of-42 extra points. He has accounted for 110 total points during the 49ers season. They went 13-3 during the regular season, locking up the NFC’s top seed. In the playoffs, they took care of business in the divisional round against the Minnesota Vikings (27-10) and blew out the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, 37-20.

In those playoff games, Gould has been Mr. Reliable. Against the Vikings, he was 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points. Against the Packers, Gould was 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points. He connected on a crucial 54-yard field goal just before halftime — the longest of Gould’s postseason career

A Super Bowl ring would be the cherry on top of a long, successful career.

His kicking career began, of course, at Central Mountain High School, where he played four sports. Although he originally considered playing professional soccer, he decided instead to walk on at Penn State to play for Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions. Although he wasn’t drafted after his senior season, he got picked up as free agent by the New England Patriots. He eventually got picked up by the Bears. The rest, as they say, is history.

Gould spent most of his career in Chicago. He left the Bears as the team’s all-time leader in career points (1,207), field goals made (276), and career field goals of at least 50 yards (23).

Now, it’s on to Super Sunday.

According to Gould, he will have 18 family members in the stands for the big game.

If the 49ers win on Sunday, Gould will become the second member of his family to earn a Super Bowl ring. His brother, Chris, won a Super Bowl as a member of the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff in February of 2016.

“I’ve got to even the score with my brother,” Gould jokingly told the media pool on Monday.

That chance will come on Super Sunday. In a game that is considered a pick ’em by the sportsbooks, Gould could be the deciding factor.