Placekicker

The placekicker is usually the same as the kicker. This performer is responsible for kickoffs, field goals and extra points. Sometimes it serves as the punter.

Today the placekicker is the detached special team specialist, but initially, the kickers occupied another position. For example, quarterback George Blanda, offensive tackle Lou Groza and some other performers were brilliant kickers. That state of affairs dominated from the sport’s initial days to the 1960s despite the first signs of changes that appeared in the military 1940s after abolishing the one-platoon system. The teams started to separate the regular offense from the placekicking. Ben Abijanian is the first officially recorded kicking specialist.

The primary reason for such a step was the difference in the blocking, running and kicking techniques. Any delay with the change leads to trauma or the early end of the career. So, the specialist lowers these chances. As we mentioned earlier, the placekicker can replace the injured punter. But in Canadian Football League, it combines both roles due to smaller active rosters. The amateur teams still combine the placekickers and regular positions in one player.

Most placekickers are eligible receivers too. They wear the single-digit number in the NFL, along with QBs. They can wear the jerseys with numbers 10 to 19 too. The collegiate kickers have a wider range of available numbers. They usually get the unused or rarely used numbers in the 40s or 90s. Chuck Kinder and Bill Bell were the unique placekickers – they wore the number 100.