Former Tennessee Volunteers punter Dustin Colquitt won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is now the most accomplished member in his family.
They are all Tennessee football legends, and their exploits helped to turn the Vols into Punter U. But of the four Colquitts to punt for Rocky Top, Dustin Colquitt officially became the most accomplished of all of them with his Super Bowl trophy.
Colquitt’s uncle, Jimmy, punted in the NFL just for a year. His brother, Britton, has more leg power and punted for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and now Minnesota Vikings. Before all of them, his father Craig punted for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Craig Colquitt got two rings with Pittsburgh, and Britton Colquitt got one with Denver. However, Dustin Colquitt had always been the model of consistency. He single-handedly delivered the Vols two victories in 2003, against the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Miami Hurricanes. He was the greatest Vol, as Britton Colquitt had issues that limited his career on Rocky Top.
Since being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005, and Dustin Colquitt has not played anywhere else. When you consider that his averages were significantly greater than his father’s and only one yard short of his brother’s despite playing in much greater offenses that gave him the short field the past few years, he was clearly better individually.
Even with no Super Bowl ring, Dustin Colquitt was already on track to become the second punter only to Ray Guy to become an NFL Hall of Famer. He has a NET average of nearly 40 yards for his career, an insane stat given how long he has played. Also the guy hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
However, he had more pressure than most punters by being drafted so high. As a third-round pick, he needed to prove to the Chiefs that he was worth it. Well, 15 years later, he definitely has proven it. And on Sunday, he got the cherry on the top of a great career.
Now, with the Super Bowl, it’s clear. This guy is the most accomplished Colquitt. It’s worth noting that he was also great in the Super Bowl. As the holder, Colquitt did not allow Harrison Butker to miss his one kick or any of his four extra points.
More importantly from his duties, though, is the fact that Colquitt’s two punts averaged 50 yards. One was 49 yards and pinned San Francisco at their own 18-yard line, which could be a big reason they only got a field goal off of that drive. The other went 51 yards and should have pinned them at their own one-yard line, but it was misplayed and went into the end zone for a touchback.
Still, Colquitt did his job on the night. To be fair, his brother did his job in helping the Broncos win over the Carolina Panthers four years ago, and given former Vol Peyton Manning’s issues that year, he had a more critical role.
When you factor in Dustin Colquitt’s accomplishments at the college and pro level, though, his lack of off-the-field issues when he played for the Vols and the level of consistency he’s had playing for the Chiefs, there’s no doubt that he’s the most accomplished member of his family. Joining the other two to get a Super Bowl ring validates that.