Coach Dan Lundy & Kicker Cairo Santos Develop Special Bond through One On One Kicking

Foreign-exchange students are plentiful in the United States. Nearly every foreigner that comes to America comes with a passion for soccer, as was the case with Brazilian Cairo Santos. Santos came to St. Augustine, Florida as a 15-year-old in 2007 just trying to learn English for a year and head back to Brazil. The passionate soccer player then found himself at a tryout for his high school football team due to his host brother, Tyler. After converting extra points with ease, Cairo was introduced to one of his soccer teammate’s brother, Caleb Sturgis, who was one of the top kickers in the country.

“We kind of met through his brother Mark,” said Cairo on meeting Caleb Sturgis, “We were on the same soccer team in St. Augustine and I knew who Caleb was. Once I talked to him he let me know about Coach Lundy and got me started.”

Santos then began his training with Coach Dan Lundy and One On One Kicking. From the get-go, Coach Lundy knew there was something special about the Brazilian.

“He had a very quick leg and was one of the quickest to pick everything up,” said Lundy, “No matter what it was that I asked him to do. His ball-striking ability was exceptional right away and he was very coachable. Literally in the first month or two that I got him, I knew I had something special – I kept raving about how he’s going to be special.”

That humble attitude turned into outstanding on-the-field performance for Santos. From there, Lundy portrayed the confidence in Santos that convinced him to stay in the United States and pursue a football scholarship. Yet, Santos’ family remained over 4,000 miles way in Sao Puelo, Brazil as Cairo’s American plans took a detour. Following his parents’ approval for him to remain the United States, Santos and Lundy began to train even harder.

“He was very interested in football,” Lundy stated, “As soon as he started exposing himself to college football, he fell in love with the game. It didn’t take much to persuade him, he saw the opportunity.”

From left to right: Miami Dolphins kicker
Caleb Sturgis, Kansas City Chiefs kicker
Cairo Santos & One On One Kicking coach,
Dan Lundy.

Santos connected on 19-of-23 field goals in his junior and senior seasons at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Augustine, Florida. Despite his incredible performance on the field, many big programs shied away from the Brazil-native.

Coach Lundy was shocked to see Santos slip through the cracks of major programs due to his small stature.  

“A lot of schools, especially the big ones like ACC and SEC schools shied away from him because of his size,” Coach Lundy stated on Santos’ recruiting out of high school, “Schools typically like kickers around six-foot, 190 pounds and when they heard he was five-eight or five-nine coming out of high school, a lot of schools didn’t even bat an eye at him, figuring there was no way he could give them that 50-yard range. He competed at the One On One Expo, Tulane called about him and saw video of his workout. Since that was the only FBS school that offered, it was a no-brainer.”

The dream was fulfilled. The whole reason Santos stayed in the United States was to earn a football scholarship and with help from One On One Kicking, he achieved that. Santos would convert 13-of-16 field goals in his freshman season at Tulane in 2010, turning him into a big name in the Conference-USA.

Just two years later during Santos’ junior year in 2012, he would grab the national spotlight. Following a perfect 21-for-21 season on field goal attempts and field goals of 54 and 57 yards, Santos won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker.

Despite the ultimate high of gaining national attention, Santos’ life took a turn downhill. On September 15, 2013, Cairo’s father died in a plane crash in Brazil. From there, Coach Dan Lundy and One On One Kicking became a third family for Cairo. Aside from his mother and sister back in Sao Puelo and host-family, he had Coach Lundy and One On One founder, Coach Mike McCabe.

“When I lost my dad, Coach Lundy was like a brother, he would call me and offer any help he could,” Cairo stated on the support from One On One, “Those are the people you don’t forget.”

After losing a very big part of his life, the 4,000 mile distance became even farther for the Santos family. However, through the support of his host-family and One On One, Santos was able to overcome the tragedy and continue his kicking career.

“My sister and my mom are the most important people in my life and at the beginning it was hard to be apart from them,” Santos said on the difficult times away from his family. “They were going through tough times there but I couldn’t do anything since I was in the U.S., I wish I could have been there for them through that tough time, it was tough.”

Since the loss, Santos and Lundy have been able to get that much closer to one another, “I wake up daily whenever we talk and it’s why I’m doing what I’m doing,” Coach Lundy stated on his talks with Santos. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and he’s been through a lot, after he lost his dad to the plane crash, I’ve been a big brother to him.”

After the loss of his dad, Cairo dedicates every kick and game to his father. Cairo’s senior year was one of ups and downs after finishing 16-for-23 on field goal attempts. Following a storied career at Tulane, Santos was eligible for the NFL Draft but went undrafted. The Lou Groza winner was then called by the Kansas City Chiefs and offered a chance to tryout. To do so, he’d have to beat out NFL-veteran Ryan Succop.

“I was a little skeptical at first when the Chiefs took him,” Lundy said on Santos’ NFL opportunity, “There were four of five teams that needed a kicker and I didn’t want a team with a veteran to take him. I knew wherever he went he was going to compete but I was very concerned.”

It worked out. Santos won the Chiefs kicking job and began to make a name for himself.

“Cairo would call me every week and touch base with me,” said Lundy on Cairo’s NFL tryout, “Him and Ryan (Succop) were neck and neck, I mean it was so close that it came down to reps. I think the competition helped Cairo because he had to go in and compete every single day to win that job.”

After making the Chiefs roster, Santos became the first Brazilian to play in the NFL, “It’s cool to see the exposure he’s getting in Brazil as a first time NFL player, he’s become a little celebrity but he’s handled it so well. He’s just so humble and his training has really improved,” said Lundy.

Despite the struggle of Cairo’s NFL schedule and Lundy’s high school coaching schedule, they still find time to talk to one another, “In the fall, he’s always busy with coaching and his kids and I’m always busy with the team so we don’t get to talk as much as we usually do when I’m in Florida. He still wants to know how I hit the ball every week,” Santos stated.

From foreign exchange student to NFL kicker, Santos says there’s no chance he’d be in the NFL if it wasn’t for Lundy and One On One, “I probably wouldn’t even be kicking, they’re the ones who told me I had talent and it let me convince my parents to stay in the United States. They taught me everything, I owe them a lot. I like to go back and help their camps, I go and I don’t ask for money, I just do it because they did it for me, I just want to give back to the kids.”


Santos says he is ready for the off-season so that he can spend time not just training with Coach Lundy but also spend time out on the boat with not only his coach and mentor, but one of his best friends as well. This relationship is just one example of why One On One Kicking is more than just a coaches and players bond - this is a family.