Jason Elam's game-winning field goal against Iowa came nearly 21 years ago in the University of Hawai'i's 1988 season opener. That same golden leg Elam had then is still going strong in his golden years as an NFL player.

Elam, 39, is preparing for his 17th season in the NFL. The first 15 were with the Denver Broncos, the team that selected him in the third round (70th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft.

In March 2008, Elam, a Snellville, Ga., native, signed a four-year, $9-million free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

"It was a decision I put a lot of thought into," Elam told The Advertiser after agreeing to the deal. "I'm excited to be back in my hometown, although it's bittersweet."

Last season with the Falcons, Elam made 29 of 31 field-goal attempts for a career-best 93.5 percent accuracy rate. He had a long of 50 yards and converted 42 of 42 PATs.

In his NFL career, Elam has made 424 of 521 field-goal attempts (81.4 percent), won two Super Bowls with the Broncos (1997, 1998) and made three Pro Bowl appearances (1995, 1998, 2001).

His single greatest feat was a record-tying 63-yard field goal Oct. 25, 1998, against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver's Mile High Stadium. It matched Tom Dempsey's 28-year-old record.

COLLEGE DAYS

Elam endeared himself to Rainbow fans in his first collegiate game by hitting a 23-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining in a 27-24 win over Iowa, which was ranked No. 1 to No. 9 in the polls.

"We all knew Jason Elam would be on that stage and doing it for a long time," said receiver Darrick Branch. "First game, we played the No. 1 team in county, the Iowa Hawkeyes, and he delivered the game-winning field goal."

That kick was the first of many Elam would make in a UH career that lasted from 1988 to 1992.

Elam holds school career records for field goals made (79), field goals attempted (100), points scored (395) and consecutive PATs (91).

He also is tied for the longest field goal in school history — a 56-yarder against BYU in 1992. Justin Ayat tied the mark in 2004 against Tulsa.

Elam's fondest memories with the Rainbows were "The (1992) WAC championship and Holiday Bowl season — and all the wins over Brigham Young. When I got there, they hadn't beaten BYU in, like, forever. And, we beat them three times."

Branch noted once the Rainbows got into an opponent's territory, they could open up the playbook because of Elam's range.

"He's a kicker that played a role in an offensive strategy," Branch said. "We knew if we got the ball to the other team's 40, we'll get three out of Jason Elam. We could take a chance. Let's see what we can do to get six."

The All-America honors rolled in for Elam over his career.

He made the 1989 The Sporting News second team; the Football News second team and Associated Press third team in 1991; and the Kodak first team and Scripps Howard first team in 1992.

Despite all the place kicking stats and accolades, Elam got a bit of a surprise prior to the 1993 NFL Draft.

"There were more NFL teams that tried him out as punter than as a kicker," said UH coach Bob Wagner. "They thought he was a better punter than kicker, and he was an All-American kicker."

For the record, the punting numbers weren't too shabby.

Elam also holds the school's career record in punting average (43.51 yards on 84 attempts). His 78-yard punt against Air Force in 1992 is the second-longest in school history.

FANTASY WORLD

Branch has been a football fan for a long time, but only started playing fantasy football last season.

Sixteen years after they played their final game together in the 1992 Holiday Bowl, Branch drafted Elam.

"We were going through the draft and everybody was passing up on Jason Elam as a kicker," Branch said. "I got him. He was my No. 1 (fantasy) point scorer."

He added: "I didn't want to see him kick for anybody else's team. You're kicking for Darrick Branch."

Elam is projected as the No. 6 kicker for this season, according to ESPN.com's fantasy football projections.