As the 49ers suffer through Eddie Piñeiro's worst stretch as a kicker since he joined San Francisco last year, the most reliable kicker in 49ers history has left his high school coaching job.
This week, former San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould resigned from the head coaching role at St. Viator High School, according to multiple reports. Gould spent two seasons at the private school in Arlington Heights, a suburb approximately 20 miles northwest of Chicago.
Gould, 43, started his high school head coaching career at Rolling Meadows in 2024, going 5-5 that season and making the playoffs. But he left that school after a single season to head to St. Viator, saying in a press conference that the private school was "No. 1 on my list" of schools he could see himself coaching at while his pre-teen children grew up and potentially played for him.
But on the field, St. Viator struggled to a 1-8 record in 2025 and a 2-7 record in 2026. Now, Gould has decided to step down. According to a statement distributed to the media by school President Ryan Aiello, Gould made the decision so he could spend more time with his family. In three seasons, Gould's overall coaching record is 8-20.
Gould spent the final six seasons of his 18-year NFL career with the 49ers. He made 87.5% of his field goals while with San Francisco, peaking with a 33-for-34 season in 2018. His range slowly dwindled over the years, with his longest made kick in 2022, his final season, being from 51 yards out. But Gould was always excellent on extra points, making 96.1% of point-after tries in his six Niner seasons and never missing more than two in a single season (and that was with the longer extra point the entire time, too).
Overall, Gould is second in 49ers history in field goals made (161) and third in field goal percentage among kickers with more than a season's worth of games (87.5%). He also was perfect on all 40 of his kicks in the playoffs for the 49ers. It's a pretty easy call to say Gould was the most reliable kicker the 49ers have ever had.
This year, Piñeiro has already missed three extra points in six weeks - two in Week 3 against the Cardinals and one last week against the Commanders. He's also missed three of his nine field goals attempts on the year.
The Niners signed Piñeiro after a disastrous performance from Jake Moody in Week 1 last year, leading the team to cut the player they chose in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft to replace Gould. That pick, intended to improve the team's field goal range, turned out to be disastrous over time and led to the sudden dismissal after one game last season.
Piñeiro came in and solidified the position, only missing one field goal all season and making a career-long 59-yarder to help beat the Rams. The 49ers rewarded him with a four-year, $17 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. But Piñeiro did miss five extra points in his 16 total games (regular season and playoffs) and now Piñeiro is missing both at an alarming rate.
As the 49ers get closer to a likely playoff run, the spotlight on the kicking game will only get brighter, especially if there are more struggles. Of course, it's been four seasons since Gould last kicked in an NFL game, so who knows if he's even continued to practice the craft. But you can't be better than "perfect in the playoffs" like Gould was in red and gold, and that's something that will surely be on the minds of the Niners fans and leadership as the season churns along.
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This article originally published at Ex-49ers kicker Robbie Gould leaves Illinois high school coaching job.