Top five NFL careers of Tennessee football kickers, punters, snappers

Teams played for:

• Detroit Lions; 1970-1976
• Seattle Seahawks; 1977-1980

In the late 1960s, Herman Weaver was one of the first Tennessee football players who was a designated kicking specialist and didn’t play other position. That was part of Doug Dickey moving the Vols into the modern age, and Weaver was part of a program that won two SEC titles and a retroactive national title within three years, as he averaged over 40 yards a punt while there.

Weaver then was taken by the Detroit Lions in the ninth round of the 1970 NFL Draft, and he immediately became the starter. That spurred a decade-long career in which he was one of the most reliable punters in the pros. Punting standards have changed over the years as legs have gotten more powerful, but Weaver’s play holds up.

During his seven years with Detroit, Weaver only failed to average fewer than 40 yards a punt twice. He was referred to as “Thunderfoot” by Howard Cosell and was one of the earliest football players to become a national name specifically as a punter. Hang time was his speciality, and he was NFC Punter of the Year in 1975.

When 1977 arrived, Weaever, would leave Detroit. He spent his final four years with the Seattle Seahawks but still had success. Over his 11 years, Weaver averaged 40.3 yards per punt on 693 punts. He was labeled by Sporting News as one of the top 20 punters of all time in 1988, so his standout talent and longevity requires that he be on this list.