David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former
football placekicker who played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. He began his career in 1998 with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
after not making the main roster of the
Atlanta Falcons and
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. The following year, he signed with the Eagles, where he spent 12 seasons. Akers was also a member of the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
and
Detroit Lions before retiring in 2013.
During his career, Akers was named to six
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
s and twice received first-team
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
honors. He also tied the then-NFL record for the
longest successful field goal when he converted a 63-yard field goal, which is the third-longest in league history. Akers is an inductee of the
Eagles Hall of Fame and a member of the Eagles' 75th Anniversary Team, along with being named to the second-team of the
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
The NFL 2000s All-Decade Team is composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the ten years spanning 2000– 2009. Only a player or coach's performance in the 2000s is used as criteria for voting.
The full team was an ...
.
Early years
Akers attended
Tates Creek High School
Tates Creek High School (TCHS) is a public school in Lexington, Kentucky. The school is one of six high schools in the Fayette County Public Schools district.
History
Tates Creek High School was built, and founded in 1965 as the last of three sc ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky.
College career
Akers attended college at the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...
and played for the
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in the sport of American football. The Cardinals compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and compete in ...
team. During his four-year college career, Akers kicked a school-record 36 field goals (with a long of 51 yards against
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
), and ranks second on Louisville's all-time scoring list, with 219 points.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers
Between
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
and
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
, Akers spent time trying to make the team with the
Atlanta Falcons and
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
.
Washington Redskins
Akers was signed by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
and played in one game for them, making two
extra point
The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...
s but missing two
field goal attempts of 48+ yards each. He was waived by the Redskins during the
1999 season.
Philadelphia Eagles
After Washington cut Akers, the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
claimed him off waivers and allocated him to
NFL Europe. A solid season with the
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe.
History
The Thunder came into existence as an expansion team, after the London/England Monarchs franchise shut down operations, prior to the 1999 season. Home games ...
helped him earn the kicking job for the Eagles in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
.
Akers proved to be one of the biggest special teams surprises in all of the NFL that season. He made 29 out of 33 field goals (an 87.9% success rate), and had a team-record 121 points. Akers earned the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month award in November 2000. He made the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
for the first time in
2001 as he went 26-for-31, making a team-record seventeen consecutive field goals during the season.
![David Akers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/David_Akers.jpg)
Akers' best statistical season was
2002 when he connected on 30 of 34 field goals (88.2%), scored a team-record 133 points, and made another Pro Bowl. He got fewer chances in
2003, but still made 24 of 29 field goals. He made the third-longest field goal in Eagles' history on September 14, 2003, a 57-yarder against the
New England Patriots at the new
Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is an American football stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It serves as the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. ...
. (The only longer field goals in Eagles' history have been
Jake Elliott's 61-yard field goal in 2017 and
Tony Franklin's 59-yard field goal in 1979.) In
2004, Akers continued his consistent kicking with an 84.4% field goal percentage, and he made his third Pro Bowl.
Injuries got to Akers in
2005 when he tore the hamstring in his non-kicking leg during the opening kickoff against the
Oakland Raiders on September 25, 2005. Akers left the game, but returned in the second half with a heavily taped leg to make two extra points and then kick the game-winning 28-yard field goal before collapsing in pain as his teammates mobbed him. He missed the next four games and finished the season 16 for 22.
In
2006, Akers was injury-free, but made only 18 of 23 attempts (78.3%), his second-worst season statistically.
On December 16, 2007, in a 10–6 win over the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, Akers set the Philadelphia Eagles franchise record for most points and on
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
in 2008, Akers passed 1,000 career points during a 48–20 win over the
Arizona Cardinals.
On December 7, 2008, Akers kicked a 51-yard field goal at
Giants Stadium, his longest of the season. In the same game he had two field goals blocked, one of which was returned for a touchdown. At the end of the
2008 regular season, Akers again set the team single-season scoring record with an NFC-best 144 points. He connected on 33 of 40 field goals (82.5 pct), his best percentage since 2004.
On January 11, 2009, Akers kicked three field goals in three attempts during a divisional playoff win over the
New York Giants. The second of these set an NFL record for consecutive field goals without a miss during the postseason, previously held by one-time Eagle
Gary Anderson. Akers eventually ran his streak to a record 19 consecutive postseason field goal conversions; it was snapped the very next week against the
Arizona Cardinals. Akers had a total of thirty-five postseason field goal conversions during his career.
Akers was selected to the
2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host sit ...
, his fourth. He was also named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s. After the 2010 season, he was selected to his fifth career Pro Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers
Akers was signed by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
to a $9 million, three-year contract on July 29, 2011. He kicked a 59-yard field goal just before halftime in a preseason game against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
on August 12, 2011. On September 18, 2011, he kicked a 55-yard field goal against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, setting a record for the longest field goal made at
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...
.
Akers broke the 49ers' record for most points scored in a season in a 20–3 win over the
Pittsburgh Steelers in a Monday Night Football matchup on December 19, 2011. The record was formerly held by the 49ers' Hall of Fame wide receiver,
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championsh ...
. In that same game against the Seahawks, Akers broke the all-time record for field goals in a season, surpassing
Neil Rackers' 40 in 2005.
On January 1, 2012, Akers broke the NFL record for most points by a kicker in a single season against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
; he finished with 166 points. In this game, he also extended his NFL record for most field goals made in a single season, finishing with 44, and threw for a touchdown on a fake field goal. Akers made his sixth Pro Bowl at the end of the season.
On September 9, 2012, Akers tied the NFL record for the longest field goal by kicking a 63-yard field goal off the crossbar against the
Green Bay Packers at
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...
, tying the overall, and now non-altitude-assisted record. It was the first non-altitude-assisted kick of that length since 1970. The non-altitude assisted record was originally set by
Tom Dempsey
Thomas John Dempsey (January 12, 1947April 4, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and ...
in 1970 and
Graham Gano
Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free age ...
tied it in 2018. The overall record was shared with
Jason Elam
Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons.
A three-time Pro Bo ...
and
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...
(and later beaten by
Justin Tucker
Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012 ...
of the
Ravens
Ravens may refer to:
* Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus''
Sports
* Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana
* Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise
* Benedictine Ravens, ...
in 2021 at
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
) until Broncos kicker
Matt Prater
Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American football placekicker for
the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for lon ...
broke the record with a 64-yard field goal on December 8, 2013, but those took place in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, where altitude assistance on field goal kicks, similar to sprint running and throwing events, is known.
The long field goals by Elam, Janikowski, and Prater were all made in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, where the ball has the ability to travel slightly farther in thinner air. Elam kicked his 63-yard field goal at
Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001.
The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...
, while the 63-yarder by Janikowski and the 64-yarder by Prater were at
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadiu ...
. In track and field, the IAAF denotes any records set 1,000 metres (about 3,937 feet) or more above sea level as altitude-assisted records, and the Dempsey (Tulane Stadium) and Akers (Lambeau Field) records were set below the 1,000m threshold.
The 49ers advanced to
Super Bowl XLVII
Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
following the 2012 season, marking Akers' second appearance in the game. In the game, Akers went 3 for 3 in field goal attempts, but San Francisco narrowly lost to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
by a 34–31 score.
On March 6, 2013, Akers was released after two seasons with the 49ers.
Detroit Lions
On April 6, 2013, Akers signed with the
Detroit Lions, three days after the retirement of 21-season Lions kicker
Jason Hanson
Jason Hanson (born June 17, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker who spent his entire 21-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football with the Wash ...
.
NFL records
*Points in a single decade (2000–2009): 1,169
*Points in Pro Bowl History: 57
*Most points in a season, no touchdowns (2011): 166
*Most games 4+ field goals in a season (2011): 6
*Most games 10+ points in a season (2011): 10 - tied with four others
*Field Goals in an NFL Season: 44
*Field Goals attempted in an NFL Season: 52
*Longest Field Goal in Pro Bowl History: 53 yards, 2005 (Eagles).
NFL career statistics
Personal life
Akers and his wife, Erika, reside in
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...
, with their sons Luke and Sawyer and daughter Halley. He has maintained a summer residence in
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County and is part of the Philadelphia- Wilmington- Camden, ...
. Luke is a punter for the
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...
.
Akers is a
Christian.
In 2001, the Akers family formed the David Akers Kicks for Kids Foundation, which has established programs with the
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a children's hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with its primary campus located in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia in the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The ...
to benefit sick children and their families. He has also trained in martial arts
jiu-jitsu
Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
and Shaolin Kempo.
On April 27, 2018, Akers was selected to announce an Eagles second-round draft pick during the
2018 NFL Draft, which took place at the Cowboys'
AT&T Stadium. Akers made a dramatic speech complete with
trash talk directed at Cowboys fans, reminiscent to what
Drew Pearson did the
previous year in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. Akers announced
Dallas Goedert
Dallas Clayton Goedert ( ; born January 3, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota State, and was drafted by the Eagles in the second r ...
as the 49th overall pick.
References
External links
Stats at Pro-Football-ReferenceKicking Videos by David AkersSan Francisco 49ers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akers, David
1974 births
Living people
American football placekickers
Atlanta Falcons players
Berlin Thunder players
Carolina Panthers players
Detroit Lions players
Louisville Cardinals football players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
People from Medford, New Jersey
People from Ocean City, New Jersey
Philadelphia Eagles players
Players of American football from Lexington, Kentucky
San Francisco 49ers players
Tates Creek High School alumni
Washington Redskins players
American Christians
American wushu practitioners
American jujutsuka