All rights reserved. In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Here are seven FBS records that (we think) will never be broken. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. There have been some amazing kick and punt returns in football over the years, here are the best of the best. Who holds it: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996-99 He made everybody miss twice against Michigan. Interpreted as: most kickoff return touchdowns by a playerin one regular-seasongame this season Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Hester may not be the fastest person to ever play football, but I don't think I've seen anybody run faster on a football field. One of the college football's best receivers in 2021, Williams tore his ACL in Alabama's national championship game loss to Georgia and played limited snaps in six games with the Lions last season. Who holds it: John Reaves, Florida, 1969 Another score against Missouri later that year gave Perkins the FBS single-season record for punt return TDs. That's why Dominique Davis' record for consecutive completions in a season is unbreakable, even as passing efficiency in college football has improved over the course of the last decade. Consider what we've seen from the most electrifying kick-returners to mark the college football landscape over the past quarter-century. Raymond Clayborn (3/1977), 3. Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have complete boxscore data (1950 onward), all playoff games, and all 100 yard rushing/receiving or 300 yard passing games from 1940-1959. All rights reserved. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! Duke fans and players were absolutely stunned, and while after the fact it was ruled that the play should have been blown dead about 12 timesthe result stood. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. Except C.J. The guy loves playing. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Roby was a miss for the Titans, but he was ultimately the only member of his class to play a prominent role on a team and win a Super Bowl. Because when I was a kid, he was the guy who made me think returners were supposed to take punts and kickoffs back for touchdowns on a regular basis. Hail Mary passes, knockout tackles, and deep throws down the sideline are all cool plays in football, but there's nothing quite as exciting as a kick return touchdown. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? His 27.6 yards per kickoff and 13.6 yards per punt-return averages were solid but not eye-popping. For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. As a West Coast resident and Pac-10 fan, I watched Reggie Bush do some incredible things. But wiping out the kickoff? Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He is a former college linebacker, a longtime coach and a parent. I expected him to score every time he touched the ball. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. The Game Before the Money Radio Showshared outstanding college football records. Jackson was one of the NFL's best return men early in his career, but less effective as a returner after taking on a bigger role at receiver. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Insane. 3 running back Justin Jackson as their top kick returner last season. By any measure, it was a near-perfect performance and the one incompletion was a dropped pass. For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. Grant, who is six inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, has made his biggest impact in the NFL as a return man. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Kick return touchdown in the Super Bowldoes it get any more exciting than that? I want to be the punt returner, too. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is open to the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role, and Williams himself has expressed . Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Most games scoring two or more touchdowns, season. In this post, we talk about kickoff returns for touchdowns. Al Diaz/Miami Herald/TNS. It was potentially a perfect storm of a conference (Big 12) and its offensive philosophy (the air raid and spread offenses), a startling lack of defense (each team finished with 854 yards of offense) and two special quarterbacks. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. (Looking at you, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, and Ohio State wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.). Do you have a sports website? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. Some might argue how much of a hit Jones really was, but he produced on the field, and if he had spent his off-field time as efficiently, who knows where he might rank with the all-time greats of the game. As a senior, he won the Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation's top special teams player. Read more about our data coverage. Why its untouchable: Coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, the Sooners won two national championships during their record-setting stretch in the mid 1950s. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. "I dont totally know the answer to it, only because he is just kind of coming back," Fipp said when asked if he's open to using Williams as a kick returner in 2023. And I think the great players are like that, and they want to do all that stuff. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. Why its untouchable: The Cougars waxed SMU, 95-21, in a biblical beating that featured an all-out aerial assault from Ware, who threw for 517 yards and later won the Heisman. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Career Leaders and Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com Kickoff Return Touchdowns Career Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. But others, at least on the surface, appear untouchable. "White Lightning" was another dual-sport football/track star who finished his Iowa career ('94-97) as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt-return yardage and touchdowns. The notion of putting up "video-game numbers" can be overstated at times, but a stat line like that to start a game is something you're far more likely to find in an arcade or a friend's basement than on the gridiron in an actual FBS game. Do you have a sports website? Sanders, the 1988 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, also holds the career record for most games with at least 300 rushing yards. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. None of the members of this class will ever hear their names called in Canton, but as a group, and what they provided for the Titans, even though small in some cases, was a solid class top to bottom that played some excellent football and were part of some good, but not great Titans teams. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. On Wednesday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes praised Williams' "rare talent, rare ability (and) serious passion for the game," and said the team was "expecting big things" from last year's No. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. This might be the most controversial of all our classes to be No.3, but this class had depth and a star on the field, and a headache off it all rolled into one class. Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Dwight's style wasn't gracefulhe was reminiscent of one of those old NFL Films segments starring Crazy Legs Hirschbut he got where he needed to go in a hurry. Check out The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL available at Amazon.comBarnes and NobleUniversity of Nebraska Press. Four games. Making the play even more amazing: The Saints basically had Cobb wrapped up, but he was able to spin out, flipping nearly upside downbreaking multiple tackles along the way to the Packers win in his first-ever NFL game. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We support responsible gambling. 5th down. ), is safe in our opinion. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. While his special teams coach may have been upset, Cobb rewarded him with a dazzling play, using his 4.46-second 40-yard dash time to blaze by the New Orleans Saints defense. Theres no way Im going to let that ball hit the ground. Cordarrelle Patterson was tied for the most kick return touchdowns in NFL history entering Week 11 of the 2022 season. Weaving through traffic and toeing the sidelines in ways that would make Kyle Busch and Cris Carter smile, Javier showed anybody who watched him serve four years ('06-09) as Alabama's home run threat that he is more than just Gilbert Arenas' little cousin. Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. Watch on. That same power, speed and aggressive running style that has made him a superstar every-down back in the NFL made him a lethal returner for UCLA. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. Talk about making an impact in your NFL debut. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp embraced the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role next season, when the team expects him fully healthy after missing most of last season while rehabbing from a torn ACL. I sat in awe, refreshing ESPN.coms GameTracker last season after every carry from Melvin Gordon, waiting on Wisconsins star running back to surpass the 400-yard barrier and inch closer to Ladainian Tomlinsons all-time mark. All NFL TeamsNFL All NFL TeamsNFL Who holds it: Case Keenum, Houston, 2007-11 Ginn visited the end zone four more times on kick returns over the next three seasonsincluding taking the opening kickoff back 92 yards in the 2007 BCS National Championship Gameand finished his career as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt-return touchdowns. Williams missed most of last season due to an ACL injury but is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the next season. Who holds it: David Klingler, Houston, 1991 Ismails first touchdown return against Michigan was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Wolverines since 1957 over 30 years before Rockets epic launch. And that wasn't even the most impressive part of the return. Hester set the NFL record for most return touchdowns (combining kickoffs and punts) with 20 over the course of his career, and one of his best came in Super Bowl XLIwhich was played in Miami, where Hester went to collegeagainst the Indianapolis Colts. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. After a punt from the New Orleans Saints landed into the endzone, it appeared that the ball was going to bounce out of bounds, causing a touchback to the 20-yard linebut it didnt. That same season, his best game came in week 15 against Jacksonville, where he had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to save the game. Why its untouchable: Klingler set several single-game and career passing records during his time at Houston (that were later broken), but this one could be his most notable. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). So well just see how it goes.". The return went for 109 yards, setting a record for the longest play in NFL history. Active players are listed in bold. The longtime Chicago Bears return man forced teams to think hard about kicking him the ballhis electrifying speed and agility made him arguably the best kick returner of all time. Ismail dashed for 88 yards on that kickoff. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. Im going to go track that thing down. ', "There's just a difference in there, and that difference makes an exponential difference on the field of play with the whole group.". One of the most controversial endings in college football history, Colorado scored a last second touchdown on the last play of the game on mistakenly-given . Who holds it: Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988 Bears game on Sunday. He doesn't own any national kick return records, and apparently he only scored six return touchdowns in his college career. When we went through and ranked these classes, there was a lot of debate as to who and which classes should be in what positions. Lions' brass has a plan. Howard, the 1991 Heisman trophy winner, is the only return man to win the Super Bowl MVP. Or write about sports? CLICK HERE, Ranking Titans All-Time Draft Classes, No.4: "It's time for The Freak." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Still, he has breakaway. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) In fact, he only scored two touchdowns in 2001, despite finishing the season with 53 receptions and 737 receiving yards. In the famous UCLA game, on his first punt return, he made about four or five moves in a five-yard area before finding daylight. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. It takes speed to return kicks well, but it also takes field vision, anticipation, agility, and some video game-like juke moves. With this play against Tennessee in 2011, the Arkansas wide receiver and return specialist made the argument that he pulled off the best punt return in football history. 5. That will never be topped. Adams slipped through a couple tackles and appeared to be at a dead end againbut with blazing speed he darted up the sideline and got a key block, sending him straight towards the end zone with nearly the entire Tennessee team chasing him, but all coming up short. The Human Joystick made video-game like moves on the field and one of his most impressive returns came against the Denver Broncos in 2003the same season in which he set a record by returning a kickoff or a punt for a touchdown four games in a row. The next year, his Heisman year, Sanders took the opening kickoff in the opening game back 100 yards for a score against Miami-Ohio. Playing on Sunday Night Football in front of a national television audience, the ridiculously fast return manhe posted a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combinetook the ball and ran straight up the middle of the field into what looked like a barrage of Packers players. The longtime NFL cornerback made everyone look like a fool on this play while he was playing with the Los Angeles Rams. The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th Iron Bowl college football game played on November 30, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.The game featured the No. Career Leaders. That's roughly what Nevada's Alex Van Dyke averaged during his two-year career Nevada. Have we mentioned this guys pretty good at returning kicks? An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. The touchdown also helped Hester set an NFL record for the most return touchdowns by a player in a single season. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. But to do so in just five games is potentially unsustainable, and that's why Sanders' record, amid a season in which he rushed for 2,628 yards in just 11 games (! 14. . Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. As a sophomore, he led the nation in kickoff return yards with 442, while averaging 31.6 yards per return. And before Hester made his name in the biggest game by returning the opening kickoff for a TD in Super Bowl XLI, he showed similarly great timing in college. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he planned to use Williams as a gunner on punt team in his first NFL game, but the Lions never got the opportunity as the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to force a punt. Cooper wouldve had to post last seasons jaw-dropping numbers three consecutive seasons to pass Insley. Why its untouchable: Kevin Sumlins facilitator of the Air Raid during his time in college, Keenum was fearless from the pocket channeled visions of high-powered Cougars offenses of old, slinging it around like record-setting quarterbacks Andre Ware and David Klingler before him. The best kick-returners have a knack for making big plays in big games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. Greg Arias covers the Tennessee Titans for All Titans.com on Sports Illustrated/FanNation. 1 pick in the NFL draft (Mayfield), the former of whom is arguably a generational talent at the position and the latter of whom was named the best player in the country one year later. Record: 140.9 yards per gameRecord-holder: Alex Van Dyke, NevadaSeasons: 1994-95. Brian Mitchell, the three-time All-Pro who, interestingly enough, never once returned a punt or kickoff in college. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. Who holds it: Houston offense led by QB Andre Ware in 1990 NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. He ran for 92 yards on the second touchdown. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Most episodes include stories from legendary football stars. Ten players have done that in NFL history. Elite running backs rarely play four seasons in todays game where the shelf life for ballcarriers has diminished and players arent often asked to carry it 30 times-plus every Saturday to save tread. NASHVILLE - It's time to reveal our No.3 class in the top-ten draft classes of the Titans history countdown. He still showed game-breaking ability at times last season but had two punt return touchdowns wiped out due to penalties while averaging 8.8 yards on 13 attempts with a long of 19. Boasting the speed and fluidity you'd expect from an All-American sprinter, Rossum owns the FBS career record with nine total return touchdownsthree on punts, three on kickoffs, three on interceptionsand ranks second in Notre Dame history with a 22.9 punt-return average. Like, 'Damn, I dont think I got that in me right now,' as opposed to the guy whos coming off the bench and like, 'Dude, I just want to play right now. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 in the SEC) as a 10-point favorite over the No. INDIANAPOLIS The Detroit Lions are making big plans to get more out of explosive wide receiver Jameson Williams next season, and that could include using him on returns.
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