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Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay (8) kicks a field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Gregg Allen (8) of Provo High School and Matt Gay (16) of Orem High School battle for possession of the ball during a game Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Orem. Gay was given a red card and forced to leave the game in the second half. ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald

Ashley Franscell

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Orem's Matt Gay punts the ball at East on Oct. 28, 2011. BEKY BEATON/Daily Herald

Beky Beaton

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UVU's Matt Gay leads the team onto the field during the Green-White scrimmage in Orem on Aug. 19.

Linsey Craig, UVU Athletics

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UVU forward Matt Gay reacts during an Oct. 4 soccer match.

IAN MAULE, Daily Herald

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In this Sept. 22, file photo, Utah place kicker Matt Gay (97) is shown in action during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona, in Tucson, Arizona. Gay was selected as the Lou Groza award winner, for being the best placekicker in college football.

Rick Scuteri, Associated Press

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Bradley Pinion (8) congratulates kicker Matt Gay (9) following Gay's field goal against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

Brian Blanco

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Los Angeles Rams' Matt Gay (8) kicks a field goal during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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It was something of a surreal moment for Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay before the awards banquet for the Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation at the UCCU Center in Orem on April 28.

He sat near the locker that had been his during his time as a UVU men’s soccer player, looking at a photo from 2010 from when he was a young soccer star at Orem High.

Talk about a walk down memory lane.

“It’s kind of coming full circle,” Gay said. “When I was at Orem, there was no thought of playing football. Soccer was the dream. It’s crazy to think about how in 10 years things flipped on their head. My life has unfolded in ways that I never could’ve imagined. To be back where my soccer dreams were so close, but to be back for a completely different sport, it’s a blast. It makes you think, wow, how did I get from here to there?”

Now Gay is a Super Bowl champion who played a huge role in getting the Rams to the title, which was one reason he was being honored with the Distinguished American Award at the banquet.

But he recalled that if things had gone a little differently, he may never have even learned to kick a football.

“I had just returned from my mission (for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and I was playing soccer at UVU in 2016,” Gay said. “We were in the middle of the season and I was frustrated because I wasn’t playing as much as I was before my mission. I had a teammate who told me they knew someone at Utah, in case I ever thought about kicking in football. I had dabbled a little in it my senior year at Orem. The thought stuck with me for a few months and this is where the decision was made.”

He said he had a discussion with then-Wolverine head soccer coach Greg Maas and told him he was going to try to play football.

“We agreed that was the best way to go, that my heart wasn’t in soccer any more,” Gay said. “If I was going to pursue football, I was going to give everything I had.”

It wasn’t an easy road as Gay had to navigate figuring out how to kick a football consistently, getting on a college roster and then seeing someone else initially get the starting job at Utah.

“There were definitely some trials along the way,” Gay said. “I was able to be resilient through it all though. I got my chance and I was lucky.”

Gay did extremely well as the Ute kicker, eventually winning the Lou Groza Award in 2017.

He then got an opportunity to move on to the highest level of football, starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and eventually joining the Los Angeles Rams.

“When I got to the NFL, I realized there was a little bit more on the line,” Gay said. “It is a business and kicking is even more important because the NFL games are a lot closer than they are in college. Those points matter a lot more and it was critical to understand that it doesn’t matter what kick it is, it could be the difference in the game. Then there was learning things like that the ebbs and flows of it and being able to understand that I am my business.”

But as he got settled in and continued to improve, Gay started to thrive. This year for Los Angeles he made 32-of-34 field goals and 48-of-49 extra points, and was named to the Pro Bowl.

Never were those more important than in the playoffs, which were arguably the closest and most exciting in history.

In an NFC Divisional Playoff game against his former Buccaneer team, he was the star as he made all three extra points and hit 3-of-4 field goals including a 30-yarder as time expired to give his team the 30-27 win.

He was also big in the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, making both extra points and a 41-yard field goal to help the Rams get the 23-20 win.

“I’m very, very lucky,” Gay said. “A lot of guys play their whole careers and don’t make playoffs or get to go play in the Super Bowl let alone win one. To think that three years in that I was able to go and you know achieve what everybody wants is amazing. That’s really the pinnacle of football and you want to do it again.”

In some ways it is even more mind-boggling for Gay because he didn’t even pay that much attention to the Super Bowl when he was a kid.

“I used to think of the Super Bowl being like my family’s get-together for dinner with seven-layer dip and stuff,” Gay said. “We’re all hanging out and not really watching the game, just having it in the background. Then it comes full circle to have my whole family at the stadium with me, watching me play in it. It sounds nuts, but it was euphoric.”

He said trying to describe the emotion of emerging victorious and being the champions is difficult because it is such an incredible high.

“It’s a feeling unlike any other,” Gay said. “There are a lot of joys in the world and I’ve experienced spiritual joys like getting married and the birth of children that will last a lifetime, but that was another such moment. Even now, talking about it, it is like we did it. We won the Super Bowl.”

It’s even more amazing to him given how limited his football experience has been.

“I haven’t been kicking that long, just five years now (two in college and three in the NFL),” Gay said. “To just think how guided I was by God and by how everything kind of fell into place, it’s amazing to see that.”

His journey, including the highs and lows, has given him a tremendous appreciation for putting in the work to chase dreams. His passion is clear as he talks about the advice he would give to young athletes considering their future.

“I remember growing up and I was so set in my mind like I was going to be playing pro soccer,” Gay said. “People just look at you like, yeah, all right, be realistic. But I was so set my mind that I wasn’t going to be stopped.

“So what I would just tell kids is that if you want to do something, you’ve got to put in the work and you’ve got to believe in yourself. You’ve got to be resilient because things are not going to go your way. Things are going to be tough. It’s what you do in those moments that matter more than anything.”

He said one of the most valuable lessons he has learned is that everything takes sacrifice.

“I had to sacrifice a lot of things from a young age for soccer and then for football,” Gay said. “Now there are the sacrifices my wife has taken on. My kids have to take on me being gone. Nothing good in life comes without sacrifice. I think the quicker kids can grasp that, then they can understand what it takes to do something great. You have to be truly convinced with who you are and what your goals are.”

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