My vote is Danny Villanueva.
Look up his records, and if youcan find it, watch some tape. Punts, extra points, field goals - all of it, and all of it at levels that can only be described as greatness. He had some pretty good holders, too.
I wondered, at times, whether his punts would ever come down - or just hover there like little football-shaped blimps. His kicking talents created an extra roster spot for the Rams.
From Wikipedia:
Villanueva was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams after the 1960 NFL Draft, becoming one of the earliest players of Mexican descent in the NFL, and one of the last straight-away style placekickers. Villanueva was both a placekicker and a punter, so he kept two different pairs of shoes on game day.
During his time with the Rams he was nicknamed "El Kickador" and "El Toe-reador", with bullfighting music being played whenever he walked onto the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In 1962, he led the NFL in punting, set the Rams' record for the longest field goal (51 yards) and the single-season record for punting average (45.5), which lasted for 45 years until it was broken in 2007 by Donnie Jones.[2] In 1963, he ranked third in the NFL in punting with a 45.4-yard average.
He led the team in scoring from 1960 to 1963, until Bruce Gossett won the placekicker starting job in 1964. On May 14, 1966, the Rams traded him to the Dallas Cowboys, in exchange for wide receiver and future hall of famer Tommy McDonald.[3] He left as the Rams career gross average punting leader with 44.3 yards, a record that was broken by Donnie Jones in 2009.
Dallas Cowboys
In 1965, he had an instant impact improving the special teams unit, eventually setting the franchise record with 100 consecutive extra point conversions (1965–1967). In 1966, he ranked second in the league in scoring, with a career-high 107 points, while setting the Cowboys record for most extra points made without a miss in a season with 56.[4]
Villanueva retired after the 1967 NFL Championship Game famously known as "The Ice Bowl". He finished with a 42.8 career punting average without a block and 491 career points.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2024 02:03PM by mtramfan.
