Matt Gay credited his faith for being a driving force in his life, days before the third-year NFL kicker suited up for his first Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
“It’s everything. It’s what we center our lives around, our whole lives. What we do is centered on Jesus Christ and our faith,” the former Utah and Orem High standout said Wednesday, four days before the 2022 Super Bowl, when asked how faith plays a role in how he and his wife, Millie, raise their two sons.
Gay, the youngest of eight children, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Houston. The one-time soccer player at Utah Valley University later was an All-American kicker for the Utes before becoming a fifth-round NFL draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2019.
The 27-year-old wound up in Los Angeles after being waived by the Buccaneers, signing briefly with the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad, then joining the Rams midseason in 2020. He’s turned into one of the league’s most reliable kickers and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time this season
“When something (like faith) is so central, a part of your life, that comes into play with everything you do. It’s how you choose jobs, it’s how you handle situations. Especially raising kids, that’s how you want to raise them, with certain principles and values,” Gay said.
“I’m lucky enough to share that same faith with my wife and we have similar views on that, so it helps a lot.”
Gay played a central role in two of the Rams’ playoff victories this postseason that helped them reach the Super Bowl. In the divisional round, his 30-yard field goal as time expired lifted Los Angeles to a 30-27 win over Tampa Bay.
In the NFC championship, he shook off an early field-goal miss and hit field goals of 40 and 30 yards in the fourth quarter as the Rams rallied to beat San Francisco 20-17
Gay was also asked about whether he and his wife hope to add a girl to their family in the future.
“Yeah, I definitely want a girl at some point in time. Whenever that comes, it will be good. My wife might want it next, but we’ll see,” he said.
Gay and the Rams will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on NBC.