Former NFL punter enjoying the good life at PK
Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos contributed by Jeff Gossett
Terri and Jeff Gossett love riding the trails in The Ranch at PK.
For former NFL punter Jeff Gossett and his wife, Terri, Possum Kingdom is their “happy place,” and the two full-time Fort Worth residents said they try to spend as much time as possible at the lake.
Gossett and his wife met in 2008, a dozen years after his playing days in the NFL ended, and they got married in 2014. After retiring from his pro football career in 1996, Gossett bought a ranch near Jacksboro, Texas. His wife, meanwhile, owned a home in The Ranch, and it was a shared love of horses that brought them together. They first met at a western store in Fort Worth, and both enjoyed riding the trails in The Ranch. After their marriage, Gossett sold his ranch near Jacksboro and his wife sold her home in The Ranch. They bought a home in Gaines Bend but still keep their horses at The Ranch.
One memorable trail ride for the couple started when they rode their horses to the restaurant at Scenic Point, which is now Hemmingway’s. While the two of them were eating inside, one of their horses got loose. Gossett said he knew where it was headed, so he took off to retrieve it. When he returned with the horse, he jokingly told his wife-to-be, “If you don’t marry me now, I don’t know when!”
Horses still play a big part in the couple’s life. The Gossetts have led the PK Mardi Gras parade on horseback the last few years, riding side by side while carrying the American flag to begin the annual event.
Gossett played both football and baseball at Eastern Illinois University. In 1978, he led the NCAA’s Division II in punting, and in 1987 he was inducted into EIU’s sports hall of fame, with his named added to the likes of former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan and longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Local PK resident, Jeff Gossett is a former NFL All Pro and played nine years with The Oakland Raiders.
Gossett was selected in the fifth round of the 1978 MLB draft by the New York Mets and spent two years in the club’s farm system, but decided he didn’t want to spend another several years working his way up to the majors, so he opted to pursue a professional sports career as a punter instead. In 1980 he made the roster as an undrafted free agent for the Cowboys, but he was released before the season began because coach Tom Landry wanted to let quarterback Danny White punt so the team could open a spot for another player.
From 1981 to 1988, Gossett played for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, Kanas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers. Along the way, he also punted for the Chicago Blitz and the Portland Breakers in the now-defunct USFL.
In 1988, Gossett was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders and served as the team’s punter until he retired nine years later. He said he enjoyed playing for legendary Raiders owner Al Davis, and his career stats bear witness to that sentiment. In 1991, Gossett was named to the NFL Pro Bowl and led the NFL in kicks inside the 20-yard line, and that same year he won Pro Football Weekly’s coveted All Pro Golden Toe Award as the league’s best kicker.
Gossett’s last play in the NFL occurred in the Raiders’ 12th game of the 1996 season, and it earned him a spot on the team’s injured reserve list. On a fourth-and-12, coach Mike White called for a fake punt. Gossett was tackled a yard short of the first down and ended up breaking seven ribs on the play and had to punt and hold three times afterwards. After that injury, he decided it was time to hang up his cleats.
Gossett said he considers himself lucky to have notched a long NFL playing career, which included playing in two conference championships. Most notably, he was on the Browns team that lost the 1986 AFC championship game to the Denver Broncos, a contest made famous by “The Drive,” a 98-yard offensive series led by Broncos quarterback John Elway.
Before retiring from the NFL, Gossett began selling scoreboards and also opened several chain restaurants. He sold the restaurants and now works for Paragon Sports Constructors, a Texas-based sports construction company that sells turf fields to sports facilities across the country. Gossett still travels all over for Paragon, but he makes his way to PK with his wife as often as possible.
Gossett’s nickname is “Goose,” so he and his wife named the island in front of their lake home “Goose Island” because 25 – 40 geese live on the island. When they’re not fishing, they spend their time at the lake enjoying time with family and friends.
Dallas Cowboys legends Bob Lilly (left) and Randy White (right) enjoy a benefit dinner with Jeff and Terri Gossett at The Wildcatter.
For the past several years, Jeff and Terri Gossett have led the PK Mardi Gras parade on horseback and carrying the American and Texas Flag.
