Bironas married Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, in June. Police spokesman Don Aaron said a police chaplain was with her after the crash. Bradshaw did not appear on the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show and was going to Nashville to be with his daughter.
A post on his verified Twitter account, @RobBironas, stated Sunday morning: “It’s w/ heavy hearts that we confirm the passing RB # 2 We appreciate your respect for the family’s privacy and your prayers at this time.”
The Titans, who play at Cincinnati, extended condolences Sunday.
“Rob made a significant impact as a player in his nine years with the team and more importantly touched many lives in the Nashville community off the field,” the team said in a statement.
Reaction poured out on Twitter, with former teammates, friends and fans remembering the kicker.
“Shocked and saddened this morning at the passing of Rob Bironas,” country singer Carrie Underwood wrote. “Such a nice guy. Sending prayers and love to his family... RB # 2”
Titans cornerback Jason McCourty wrote on his Twitter account he shares with brother Devin of the New England Patriots: “Rest in peace to my former teammate Rob Bironas.”
Bironas was the fourth most-accurate kicker in NFL history, connecting on 85.7 percent of his kicks (239 of 279). Only David Akers made more field goals (247) between 2005 and 2013 than Bironas. For kickers with 100 or more field goals since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Bironas ranked third making 75.2 percent of his kicks from 40 yards or longer (94 of 125).
He finished as the Titans’ second all-time leading scorer with 1,032 points, and he set a franchise record scoring triple digits in seven straight seasons. He also set an NFL record in 2011 in hitting a field goal from at least 40 yards in 10 consecutive games.
Bironas made a franchise-record 11 game-winning field goals during his career, including a 60-yarder against the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 that remains the longest field goal in Oilers or Titans history. Bironas kicked an NFL single-game record eight field goals in a 2007 victory over the Houston Texans, including a 29-yard game-winner as time expired. That helped him make his only Pro Bowl, the same year he was an Associated Press All-Pro.
He went to Auburn and transferred to Georgia Southern, where he won a Division I-AA national title. Bironaswent to work for his father’s company in Louisville, Kentucky, and was cut by Green Bay in 2002. He played in the Arena Football League and even the AF2 while spending time in training camps with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh working as a part-time security guard and other jobs while trying to stick with an NFL team.
He won a roster spot with the Titans in 2005.
“To play in the NFL,” he said in 2006, “was the ultimate goal.”
