College career
Gossett, accepted an athletic scholarship from Eastern Illinois University. As a sophomore, he led the NCAA Division II in punting with a then school record 43.1-yard average. He also set the school records career average (40.7) and longest punt (77 yards).
He competed in baseball as a shortstop. In 1978, he contributed to the team earning a fifth place in the College Division World Series. He set the school record for triples in a season (7) and in a career (14), while ranking in the top ten in career hits, home runs and RBIs.
In 1987, he was inducted into the school's Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Gossett was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 1980 NFL Draft on April 30. He was released before the start of the season on August 25.
San Diego Chargers
On March 9, 1981, he signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers. On August 31, he was released after the team acquired punter George Roberts.[3]
Kansas City Chiefs
On November 5, 1981, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs to replace an injured Bob Grupp, finishing with a 39.3-yard punt average.[4]
In 1982, he was cut before the seventh game of the season and surprisingly brought back a week later after a terrible showing by rookie Case deBruijn against the Denver Broncos.[5] He ranked fourth in the American Football Conference with a 41.4-yard average, but his net average of 30.9 was the worst in the league.[6]
On August 29, 1983, he was released after losing a preseason competition with rookie fifth round draft choice Jim Arnold.[7]
Cleveland Browns
On August 31, 1983, he was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, to replace Steve Cox, who was recovering from a surgery to remove a blockage between his brain and his spinal cord.[8] He had a 40.8-yard average on 70 punts.
Chicago Blitz
On December 20, 1983, he was signed by the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League.[9] In 1984, he led the league with a 42.5-yard average on 85 punts, including downing 18 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Portland Breakers
In 1985, he played for the Portland Breakers of the United States Football League. He ranked fourth in the league
with 74 punts for a 42.2-yard average, including 19 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line.
Cleveland Browns
On January 27, 1985, he signed with the Cleveland Browns after the United States Football League folded, averaging 40.3 yards on 81 punts, including a career-long punt of 64 yards against the St. Louis Cardinals.
In 1986, he had 83 punts for a 41.2-yard average, including a 61-yard punt against the Minnesota Vikings. He experienced some struggles, like the contest against the Houston Oilers, when he shanked five consecutive punts.[10]
In 1987, he played in the first 5 games of the season, before being replaced with rookie punter George Winslow and released on November 18.[11]
Houston Oilers
On December 2, 1987, he signed as a free agent with the Houston Oilers.[12] He played in the last 4 games of the season.
In 1988, the team drafted punter Greg Montgomery in the third round and traded Gossett to the Los Angeles Raiders on August 15, in exchange for undisclosed future considerations.[13]
Los Angeles Raiders
In 1988, he was acquired to replace punter Stan Talley. He finished fourth in the league with a 41.8-yard average on 91 punts, was third in the American Football Conference in net punting with 35.7-yard average and tied for the league lead for punts downed inside the 20-yard line with 27. He had a 58-yard punt against the Miami Dolphins.
In 1991, he switched his jersey number from 6 to 7, and went on to average a career-high 44.2 yards per punt, while being named an All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl roster.
In 1996, he was the NFL's oldest punter at age 39.[14] He broke four ribs after being tackled on a fake punt in the twelfth game against the Seattle Seahawks.[15] On November 27, 1996, he was placed on the injured reserve list. He was replaced with Leo Araguz.[16] He was released on February 14, 1997.[17]
Gossett finished his Raiders career with 642 punts (at the time second in team history) for 26,747 yards (at the time second in team history) and averaged 41.7 yards per punt. Overall he had 982 punts for 40,569 yards and averaged 41.3 yards per punt.
