Best of the Packers: Top 10 kickers, punters since 1960
By Phil Watson
Ryan Longwell (8) of the Green Bay Packers is congratulated by holder B.J. Sander (11) and fullback William Henderson (33) after kicking a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lambeau Field on Nov. 6, 2005, becoming the first player in Packer history to score more than 1,000 points. (USA Today Sports Images)
With the Green Bay Packers set to open training camp at the end of this month, Dairyland Express will spend the next several days looking back at the rich history of the Pack, ranking the top 10 players since 1960 by position groups.
Why 1960? Because it’s just more quantifiable since then. Full statistical information exists, which makes comparisons much easier, and honestly, professional football is a different game since the formation of the American Football League and its high-powered passing games.
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But we would be remiss to not acknowledge some of the top performers from that earlier era.
Among kickers, there was Fred Cone, who kicked 53 field goals from 1951-57; Ted Fritsch, who connected on 36 field goals from 1942-50; and Clarke Hinkle, who made 19 field goals from 1938-41.
Punters of note from the early days of the franchise include Dick Deschaine (1955-57), Jack Jacobs (1947-49), Roy McKay (1944-47), Hinkle, Babe Parilli (1952-53) and Jug Girard (1948-51).
Kicking specialists are the overlooked guys on a football team, but can have a major impact on the game in terms of field position and, of course, kickers needing to make that field goal with time running out to win a game.
So with that preamble, here are the top 10 kickers and punters for the Green Bay Packers in the modern era:
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