Bjorn Merten
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| No. 37 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Placekicker |
| Career information | |
| High school | Centreville (Clifton, Virginia) |
| College | UCLA |
| Career history | |
| 1993–1996 | UCLA Bruins |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Bjorn Merten is an American former college football placekicker who played for the UCLA Bruins. He was a consensus All-American in 1993 as a freshman.
Merten attended Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia.[1][2] He played both kicker and quarterback in high school.[3] He originally planned on continuing the family tradition of attending the United States Naval Academy.[3] Merten wanted to be a pilot in the Navy but failed a depth perception test.[3] As a result, he decided to instead attend the University of California, Los Angeles.[3]
College career
Merten was a four-year letterman for the UCLA Bruins from 1993 to 1996.[4] He won the starting kicking job only four days before the start of his fresman year.[3] As a freshman in 1993, he converted 20 of 25 field goals and 31 of 34 extra points.[5] He led the Pac-10 in scoring and field goal conversions that year, earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors.[5][6] Merten was named a consensus All-American for the 1993 season.[7][8] He scored 12 of 21 field goals and 24 of 26 extra points in 1994.[5] During the 1995 season, he made 10 of 16 field goals and 34 of 35 extra poins.[5] His 34 extra points were the most in the Pac-10 that year.[5] As a senior in 1996, Merten recorded 14 of 19 field goals and 38 of 40 extra points.[5] Merten led the Pac-10 in field goal percentage with 73.7% and in field goals made with 14.[5] He garnered first-team All-Pac-10 recognition for the 1996 season.[9]