Active players are listed in bold. (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) It would take a dynamic talent like Randy Moss, who was interested in playing four seasons, to come close. 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 SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. 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. That will never be topped. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48. 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. 7 college football records *we think* will never be broken Do you have a blog? "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. 1977 1976 1947 NFL Punt Returns for Touchdown Single Game Leaders All-Time Punt Returns for Touchdown Leaders Players must meet the minimum requirements to show up on this leaderboard. NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns But others, at least on the surface, appear untouchable. Green Bay Packers wideout Randall Cobb was anxious to get his pro career startedso anxious that he brought out a kickoff after receiving it eight yards deep in the end zone. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records | College Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. Ouch. 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. During the 2013 campaign at Washington State, Halliday also set a new NCAA record with 89 passing attempts at Oregon. Most games scoring two or more touchdowns, season. Kick Six - Wikipedia For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. Return to Top; Players. Twenty-six players have one, five players have two, and Patterson has seven, a total that accounts for. Every Kick Return Touchdown of the 2021 College Football Season The longtime NFL cornerback made everyone look like a fool on this play while he was playing with the Los Angeles Rams. Join our linker program. Fipp said it sometimes makes more sense to use a complmentary player in a return role so they can devote more energy to the craft, and he cited former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson, who he coached with the Philadelphia Eagles, as an example. Insane. 46. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The next year, in 1989, he returned to kickoffs for touchdowns against Michigan at Michigan in the Big House. 5th down. And its like, 'Well, yeah, thats good, but what happens when the balls punted to that side of the field, we thought it was going to be over (on the other) side of the field and hes like, 'Oh, (expletive), I got to go over there.' Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. College football bold predictions with B/R's Adam Kramer, FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, College football's longest active road winning streaks, Georgia wins the 2023 CFP National Championship, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Division III Mount Union's Nate Kmic had 2,790 in 15 games in 2008, compared to Sanders' 12. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. All rights reserved. Travis Williams (4/1967), 3. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? But even if he'd been stopped for 10- and 12-yard gains every time, surely he'd find some way to remain memorable. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. was better than Barry when it came to returning kicks. Detroit Lions could have interesting plan for Jameson Williams in 2023 Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? It's almost unfathomable to see a stat line of 12 receptions, 326 yards, 27.2 yards per reception andzero touchdowns. So why is "Rocket" holding down the No. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail Holds Record for Most Games With Two Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. The return went for 109 yards, setting a record for the longest play in NFL history. Hester danced his way around defenders like a true artistcutting side to side, running backwards, spinning out of tacklesbefore breaking free and taking the ball into the endzone. Rocket Ismails record of most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns set in 1989 still stands today. 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. Most games scoring a touchdown, career. With just the kicker to beat, Washington pulled a fantastic stutter step to put him to the ground and ran his way into the endzone. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. All rights reserved. Schiano, like anybody who cares about football, cares about the welfare of the players. (Jones-Drew's 91-yard kickoff return TD in that same game was understandably overshadowed.). And that really wasn't even his best year as a kick-returner. Most rushing touchdowns, game [ edit] FBS: 8 - Howard Griffith, Illinois, 1990; Kalen Ballage, Arizona State, 2016; Jaret Patterson, Buffalo, 2020 FCS: 7 - Archie Amerson, Northern Arizona, 1996 Div II: 8 - Junior Wolf, Oklahoma Panhandle State, 1958 Div III: 8 - Donavan Henderson, Manchester, 2019; Carey Bender, Coe, 1994 Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. He is a graduate of Indiana University. So, Sanders' Heisman-winning season in '88 when he ran for 332 yards against Texas Tech, 320 yards against Kansas State, 312 yards against Kansas and 304 yards against Tulsa hasn't been matched by any other running back in their career, let alone a single season. The guy loves playing. CLICK HERE, Ranking Titans All-Time Draft Classes, No.4: "It's time for The Freak." Why its untouchable: The NCAA didnt start collecting sacks as an official FBS statistic until 2000, but were putting Thomas insane number of 27 quarterback faceplants with the Crimson Tide in 1988 inside the Top 10. Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. Ismail dashed for 88 yards on that kickoff. In order for this record to be topped, it would take a pair of quarterbacks likely future NFL starters to average roughly 700 passing yards apiece. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders Rushing for 1,500 yards in a season is a terrific accomplishment for a player one likely to earn the player all-conference, if not All-America, honors. Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. 5. As a West Coast resident and Pac-10 fan, I watched Reggie Bush do some incredible things. He was a man among boys off the edge in Tuscaloosa and later set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single-Season Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com 1. O.J . 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. That year, he took the opening kickoff of the opening game back for a TD against Tulsa. 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. We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. Watch Newton go 49 yards against the LSU defense. 1990. Feel free to disagree because that's part of what this is about. 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. ROAD WARRIORS: College football's longest active road winning streaks, Record: 3,690 rushing yardsRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State and Byron Sanders, NorthwesternSeason: 1988. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff. 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. 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. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads . After a final lateralmaking for eight laterals in totalall the way across to the opposite side field, the Hurricanes took the ball up the sideline and found wide open space, scoring the game-winning touchdown. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns. The football gods skipped over this game pitting the nations best team against a small college from Tennessee at legendary Grant Field and let the bloodletting continue for four horrific quarters. Leaders Since 1976 Share & Export NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns The following is a list of the NFL single season kickoff returnleaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. Who holds it: Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988 Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award, AP and Sporting News Player of the Year. 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. 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). Michigan State must replace All-American punter and fix disastrous 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. most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, A Brief History of The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Oilers Rivalry. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. Im going to go track that thing down. Burleson's effort against San Jose State ranks tied for eighth all-time in single-game receiving yards and yet, he never made it to the end zone. There have been some amazing kick and punt returns in football over the years, here are the best of the best. Barry Sanders' 1988 Heisman: 44 reasons it's the greatest ever - Banner College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. As a senior, he won the Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation's top special teams player. 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. 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. As a senior in 1997, Rossum finished fourth nationally in kickoff-return average; as a junior he led the country in punt-return average. 12 overall pick in 2023. 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. Cordarrelle Patterson Is the Kick Return King and the Last - The Ringer 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. Even as the length of the college football season has increased to 15 games for the teams that advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, in order for Sanders' record to be broken, it would still require a player who plays for a national finalist to rush for at least 300 yards in one out of every three games in a single season. All NFL Teams. That's not happening. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. Brandon Jones, who physically looked the part, and Damien Nash were the only two real misses in this class. NFL Kick Returns for Touchdown Single Game Leaders 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. Howard, the 1991 Heisman trophy winner, is the only return man to win the Super Bowl MVP. Find out more. 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. 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. Record: Four gamesRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma StateSeason: 1988. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. After receiving the pooch kick at their own 25-yard line, Miami started lateraling the ball to keep it alive, eventually getting all the way back to their own 3-yard line before making their way upfield again. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Just look at Moore's freshman (36.2 receiving yards per game) and sophomore (70.8 yards per game) seasons to see that it took Moore time (and potentially a coaching change to offensive mind Lane Kiffin) for him to develop into a receiver who could average that many yards per game. Over the past eight months, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has become the public face of a movement to eliminate the kickoff from college football. It's impossible for someone to break Nevada punter Pat Brady's 99-yard punt without having a touchback, and similarly, no player will ever top the record of a 100-yard return of an extra-point attempt, which is held by eight different players. Hester took the opening kickoff from his own 10-yard line and darted through the first wave of would-be tacklers with a fantastic juke step, and he was offHester made it 90 yards before anyone on the Colts touched him, but by then he was already in the endzone. Catch up on DI women's conference tourneys, There are a handful of FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, respectively. Lions' brass has a plan. Recently, Oregon and Baylor have each topped the 700-yard mark with their no-huddle attacks, but hitting quadruple digits in a single game just seems unfathomable. Josh Cribbs (3/2009), Sports Reference Baseball Football(college) Basketball(college) Hockey Ftbol Blog Stathead Questions or Comments? You could still try to maintain possession of the ball. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. 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. And I think the great players are like that, and they want to do all that stuff. Rossum played 12 years in the NFL, where he made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist and ranks second all-time in combined kick return yardage. 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. CLICK HERE. The following are the 2020 NFL team kickoff return statistics. Though I understand the safety concerns, it would be a shame to tear down a stage on which some of college football's most talented players have put in work. 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. And his most memorable returna 91-yard dash with one minute left in the 1991 Orange Bowl that (would have) dashed Colorado's national championshipdidn't even count due to a clipping penalty. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com , Google Podcasts, or YouTube. Those gargantuan numbers would only be approached within a pass-happy offense with literally two or fewer reliable targets. If you don't, then you punt the ball. College Football: The 15 Most Electrifying Kick Returners of the Last Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. I want to be the punt returner, too. One of his players, Eric LeGrand, remains paralyzed from the neck down today due to an injury suffered on a kickoff last October. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. 1 Georgia Tech trampled Cumberland Gap (Tenn.) 222-0 in 1916 Who holds it: Connor Halliday, Washington State, 2014 Before there was Devin Hester, there was Dante Hall. NFL Career Leaders - Punt Return Touchdowns. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! Two TD Kickoff Returns in One Game | The Game Before the Money Raymond Clayborn (3/1977), 3. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. I think it would start the game in similar field position. College football: The best last-second, game-winning touchdown in 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. Follow him on Twitter@davebirkett. East Carolina's Bryson Worrell kicked off the first round of the DI baseball tournament with a bang, not once, but twice against Greenville Regional opponent Coppin State. 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. That season, he averaged 19.8 yards per kickoff return and scored three TDs on punt returns. As a sophomore, he led the nation in kickoff return yards with 442, while averaging 31.6 yards per return. Who holds it: Case Keenum, Houston, 2007-11 Devin Hester (Miami) 11 of 15 Jamie. Find out more. 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. 2023 NFL combine: Current drill record-holders and candidates to break UTEP has been on the wrong end of several FBS records former Houston quarterback Case Keenum holds the record for the most career passing yards gained against one opponent (1,882 yards against UTEP) and former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson has the record for career rushing yards against one opponent (788 yards against UTEP) but the Miners are also in the FBS record book for positive reasons, too. The raw video game-like numbers nearly 20,000 yards passing and 155 touchdowns jump off the page. The Lane College alum ratcheted up his speed at the 15-yard line and bursted through a small seam in between the 49ers special teams front line. Another score against Missouri later that year gave Perkins the FBS single-season record for punt return TDs. In 2019, Wright finished with 10 returns for 380 yards, 38 yards per return and two touchdowns. The record? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Have we mentioned this guys pretty good at returning kicks? About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. Down three points with just six seconds left in this ACC matchup against Duke, the Miami Hurricanes were in a desperate positionthey needed to find a way to score a touchdown after a late score by the Blue Devils. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. A compilation of every kick return touchdown of the 2020 college football season. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. ruled that the play should have been blown dead. Missouri. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. 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. Hester blew through an open lane to go basically untouched into the endzonehigh-stepping his way in all the way from the 20-yard line. Except C.J. It takes speed to return kicks well, but it also takes field vision, anticipation, agility, and some video game-like juke moves. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. But the NCAA told me none of it ever happened, so maybe I was just dreaming. Keenums NCAA record of 1,546 career completions also wont be touched. 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. Schiano referenced a statistic that more than 15 percent of the catastrophic injuries suffered on the football field happen on kickoffs, even though there are only a handful of kickoffs per game. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. Here are 10 current college football records one man at SDS has deemed unbreakable: Who holds it: Oklahoma, from 1953-57 Of course, some records are literally unbreakable. SEC Women's Basketball Tournament action suspended due to weather delay, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, 2 SEC players named to late-season watch list for Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy, Bruce Pearl tosses headset during radio interview after Auburn-Alabama game, Overrated? I expected him to score every time he touched the ball. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. In the 2020 season, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed his first 17 pass attempts in the Badgers' season-opener against Illinois as he finished 20-for-21 passing for 248 yards and five touchdowns. His career punt-return average (23.2) ranks second all-time nationally. Do you have a sports website? Who holds it: John Reaves, Florida, 1969 We're going to double dip with Barry Sanders but this time it's a family affair. Imagine if the fantasy football owners who covet Jones-Drew so much now could have had him in college, where in addition to his rushing and receiving exploits,he was also a record-setting kick-returner. 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. "Theyre like, 'Well, just throw him back there.' All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The following is a list of the NFL career kickoff return leaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. Here's a look at the 2005 draft class and its impact on the team. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns.