How the Dallas Cowboys' Dan Bailey went from a high school with no goal posts to NFL's most accurate kicker

Southwest Covenant football coach Don White remembers when Dan Bailey decided he would train year round and visit kicking camps in his pursuit to kick field goals at the Division I level.

A decade later, Bailey is the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

In January, the Dallas Cowboys signed the former Oklahoma State All-American to a seven-year $22.5 million contract, $7.5 million guaranteed, including a $4 million signing bonus.

“Kickers need to have ice water in their veins,” White said. “That’s something I saw even here (at Southwest Covenant). He was laid back in a way but when he focused on something he could do just about anything he wanted.”

For the past 20 years at Southwest Covenant, White has taught math and coached junior high and high school football. Oddly enough, his coaching career mirrored Bailey’s time at the small private school in Yukon with average graduating classes of 22.

“I coached him all six years he was here,” White said. “Dan didn’t even start playing football until the seventh grade. When he moved up to high school I moved up to high school.”

White said Bailey’s athleticism always stood out. At Southwest Covenant, he was a backup running back behind two veterans before being the Patriots’ top ball carrier his senior year. He also played linebacker. Bailey also won medalist honors at the Class 2A state golf tournament and was even the school’s valedictorian.

But kicking was in his blood.

“His sophomore year he made up his mind he wanted to kick in college,” White said. “At an eight-man school he did most of it on his own.”

When Bailey first dreamed of developing into an elite kicker, Southwest Covenant didn’t have goal posts. The school played eight-man football, and teams primarily attempted two-point conversions instead of kicking extra points. His junior year, Bailey took matters into his own hands.

“I usually just kicked down a line, or we’d have some guys go stand down there and I’d kick between them,” Bailey said while playing at OSU. “We finally got together with some family friends, got some pipe and put them up so I’d have something to kick through.”

In just his fourth season with Dallas, Bailey already owns many franchise records, including most game-winning field goals (nine). His cerebral, “ice in his veins” approach could be traced back to his high school days.

“I advised him there are only a handful of kicking jobs in college, that he had the athletic talent but the key would be he would have to out work everyone,” White said. “He did that. He worked really hard.”

At last week’s OSU press conference, coach Mike Gundy was asked about Bailey’s dramatic 49-yard game winner — on third down — to lift Dallas to a 20-17 win over the Houston Texans. Gundy confessed the Cowboys nearly cut Bailey after his first season.

“I’d love to give you some great story that I saw something in him,” Gundy said. “I don’t remember. I can remember thinking, ‘He’s a good kid, but we’re going to have to get somebody else in here.’

“I’m not exactly sure why we did (keep him around), but I’m sure glad we did.”

Wearing neon orange shoes, Bailey became a fan favorite after he seized the place-kicking job from Quinn Sharp, the nation’s top high school kicker. After Sharp failed early, Bailey seized the job while Sharp developed into an All-American punter.

“I told him (OSU) put all their marbles into one bag, but I told him he could win the (place-kicking) job if he showed them he could be consistent,” White said. “His athleticism helped. He could put a lick on as a linebacker and used that type of focus as a kicker.”

Bailey took a stranglehold on the job by converting 15 of 19 field goals. Already a two-year letter winner, Bailey finally was awarded a scholarship during two-a-days of his junior season.

After going 13-of-18 his junior year, Bailey became a viable NFL prospect following a 27-of-31 senior year, receiving the Lou Groza Award representing college football’s top kicker.

Bailey’s NFL story is similar. Bailey was one of three kickers Dallas brought to camp to compete for the job. David Buehler was the favorite, but Bailey consistently drilled kicks during preseason while Buehler was sidelined with a quadriceps injury.

Bailey missed a chip shot 21-yard attempt his second game his rookie season but kicked the game-winner in in overtime to beat the 49ers in San Francisco. He’s rarely missed since.

Dallas coach Jason Garrett repeatedly has Bailey is as good at his position as any player he’s ever been around.

Bailey’s a perfect 138-of-138 on PATs with the Cowboys, and he was 199-of-201 at OSU — an off-the-charts 99.4 PAT percentage in the pros and college.

“He always worked towards getting consistent, even when he first started out as a sophomore,” White said. “He comes from a great family. His older sister (Sarah) who went here keeps him grounded.”

Bailey plays a position where routine is essential. But a trip to Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., showed Bailey’s adventurous side. Bailey said flying with the Blue Angels, a 90-minute excursion, was physically demanding.

“They have this thing called the ‘hick maneuver,’” Bailey recalled. “You basically flex your entire body and breathe in air and exhale really fast and breathe in some more. You just have to keep the blood in your head because five, six, seven G’s, all the blood goes right down to the lower body. It’s pretty intense.”

Bailey missed only two field goals in 2012 and missed only two last season. Longtime Dallas Cowboys longtime radio play-by-play Brad Sham calls Bailey “Mr. Automatic.”

Following a rare miss at the end of regulation last week against the Texans — a last-second 53-yard attempt — Garrett showed the ultimate confidence in his kicker when he trotted Bailey out on third down to kick a 49-yard overtime game-winner instead of running another play to move the ball closer.

“When other kids we played kicked a football it sounded like a thud,” White said. “When Daniel kicked it sounded like the ball exploded out of a cannon. There was never any about his leg. None of this surprises me. He’s always has been able to shut out everything when the lights are on.”