KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Less than a year after his father was killed in a plane crash in Brazil, Cairo Santos has fulfilled both of their dreams. The undrafted rookie out of Tulane will be the starting kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday against Tennessee. Santos beat out incumbent Ryan Succop for the starting nod. And in a twist of fate, Succop has signed with the Titans and will be kicking in Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, too.
Santos arrived in the U.S. as an exchange student who had dreams of playing soccer. Turned out that he was a pretty good kicker in football, too. He won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best in college, and will now get to show what he can do in the NFL.