He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Gano has also played for the Las Vegas Locomotives in the United Football League (UFL), the Washington Redskins and the Carolina Panthers.

[2] His father, Mark, was a United States Navy Master Chief Petty Officer and Vietnam veteran who was stationed at Canadian Forces Base, Gander, Newfoundland when Gano was born.

In high school football, he was an All-American First-team selection by USA Today and the nation's third-ranked kicker by Rivals.com.

[4] As a standout track & field athlete, Gano was one of the state's top performers in the sprinting events.

Gano was listed as Walter Camp, Associated Press, Sporting News, SI.com, and Phil Steele second-team All-American.

Gano was four-time ACC Specialist of the Week for his kicking performances against NC State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Maryland.

He was named offensive special teams player of the year for the Seminoles as selected by the Florida State coaching staff.

He holds the Seminoles single season record for 50+-yard field goals, completing five straight attempts from 50 yards or longer.

Despite only kicking for one season, Gano finished second in career 50-yard field goals at FSU behind two time Lou Groza Award winner Sebastian Janikowski.

[4] Gano signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent immediately after the 2009 NFL draft.

[12] Gano was signed by the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League after being cut by the Ravens.

He cemented his status as a clutch kicker for the Redskins by contributing to three overtime game-winning field goals when playing against the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 season, he kicked a 59-yard field goal, which broke the Redskins' franchise record of 57 yards.

[23] At the end of the season, he made 31 of 41 field goal attempts with five of the ten misses being blocked kicks.

[24] On March 3, 2012, the Redskins tendered a contract with Gano establishing exclusive negotiating rights and guaranteeing him a league minimum salary.

[27][28] In a surprise transaction by the Redskins, Gano was released the next day after the team signed veteran Billy Cundiff.

[30] He played in the last six games of the season under head coach Ron Rivera and converted nine out of eleven field goal attempts.

Through the first 12 weeks of the season, Gano ranked second in NFL in points scored with 110, trailing only New England Patriots kicker, Stephen Gostkowski (111).

[39] In Super Bowl 50, Gano was one-of-two on field goals and converted the lone extra point for the Panthers.