Olindo Mare is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He was born on June 6, 1973, in Hollywood, Florida, and attended Cooper City High School in Cooper City, Florida. Mare played college football at Syracuse University, where he was a standout kicker and earned All-Big East honors in 1994 and 1995.
Mare was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 1996 but was released before the start of the regular season. He then signed with the Miami Dolphins and spent the next 10 seasons with the team. During his time in Miami, Mare established himself as one of the most accurate and reliable kickers in the league. He made 245 of 301 field goal attempts (81.4%) and scored 1,048 points, which ranks second in Dolphins history behind only Dan Marino.
In 2001, Mare had one of the best seasons of his career, making 27 of 32 field goal attempts (84.4%) and scoring 123 points. He was named to the Pro Bowl and was also named First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Mare continued to be a consistent performer for the Dolphins over the next few seasons, but the team struggled to make the playoffs, and he was eventually released in 2007.
Mare then signed with the New Orleans Saints and played for the team for one season. He made 10 of 17 field goal attempts (58.8%) and scored 63 points. The following year, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and spent the next three seasons with the team. Mare had a solid first season in Seattle, making 24 of 27 field goal attempts (88.9%) and scoring 105 points. However, his performance declined in the following two seasons, and he was released by the Seahawks in 2011.
Mare then signed with the Carolina Panthers and played for the team for one season. He made 22 of 28 field goal attempts (78.6%) and scored 88 points. Mare was released by the Panthers in 2013 and announced his retirement from the NFL shortly thereafter.
Throughout his career, Mare was known for his strong leg and accuracy on field goal attempts. He made 350 of 431 field goal attempts (81.1%) and scored 1,622 points. He also had a career-long field goal of 55 yards and made 29 of 43 attempts from 50 yards or longer. Mare was named to the Pro Bowl twice and was named First-Team All-Pro once. He ranks 19th on the NFL's all-time scoring list and is one of only 25 kickers in league history to score over 1,500 points.
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