Shane Lechler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shane Lechler

Lechler with the Houston Texans in 2016
No. 9
Position:	Punter
Personal information
Born:	(1976-08-07) August 7, 1976 (age 49) East Bernard, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:	East Bernard
College:	Texas A&M (1996–1999)
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 5 / Pick: 142
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2000) Houston Texans (2013)
Career highlights and awards
6× First-team All-Pro (2000, 2003, 2004, 2008–2010) 3× Second-team All-Pro (2001, 2007, 2011) 7× Pro Bowl (2001, 2004, 2007–2011) 4× NFL punting yards leader (2003, 2008, 2009, 2017) Golden Toe Award (2009) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team NFL 2010s All-Decade Team NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team PFWA All-Rookie Team (2000) 2× First-team All-American (1998, 1999) Second-team All-American (1997) 3× First-team All-Big 12 (1997–1999)
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 1,444 Punting yards: 68,678 Average punt: 47.6 Inside 20: 469 Extra points attempted: 7 Extra points made: 7 Kickoffs: 19 Kickoff yards: 1,210
Player stats at PFR

Edward Shane Lechler (born August 7, 1976) is a former professional football player. He was a punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies. The Oakland Raiders picked him in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft.

Many people think Lechler is one of the best punters ever in the NFL. He was named an All-Pro nine times during his career. He also played in seven Pro Bowls. He led the league in punting average five times. For almost 20 years, he held the NFL record for the best career punting average. Lechler was one of only two punters chosen for the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. The other punter was Ray Guy, who is in the Hall of Fame.

Early Life and High School Football

Shane Lechler grew up in East Bernard, Texas. He went to East Bernard High School. He was a great athlete in many sports. He played football, basketball, golf, and baseball. In football, he played as a quarterback, punter, and placekicker. In his senior year, he helped his team reach the state quarterfinals. He completed 87 out of 101 passes for 1,640 yards and 11 touchdowns. During his high school career, he passed for almost 5,000 yards. He also averaged 41.6 yards per punt. His longest punt in high school was an amazing 85 yards!

College Career at Texas A&M

Lechler went to Texas A&M University. He played for the Aggies football team from 1996 to 1999. He was a very flexible player. He was the team's punter and also kicked off. He was the kicker for long field goals. He also held the ball for short field goals and PATs. Sometimes, he even played as an emergency quarterback.

In his junior year, he made a 29-yard pass on a fake punt. This happened in a game against Baylor. He also threw a touchdown pass to Dan Campbell on a fake field goal. This helped his team win a tough game against Texas Tech by a score of 17–10.

In 1998, when many quarterbacks were hurt, Lechler became the backup quarterback. This was for the Big 12 championship game. The Aggies won that game 36–33 against Kansas State. This was the Aggies' only Big 12 Championship. Because he helped the team in so many ways, coach R. C. Slocum called Lechler "the team's most valuable player."

Lechler started his college career very well. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 1996. He had a punting average of 42.7 yards that year. After his second year, he was named to the All-Big 12 team. He broke the Aggie record for single-season punting average with 47.0 yards per punt. He was named an Associated Press first-team All-American in 1999. His 46.5 yards per punt that year was the second-best in Aggie history. He holds the NCAA record for career punt average with 44.7 yards per punt.

College Statistics

Professional Career Highlights

Oakland Raiders (2000–2012)

The Oakland Raiders picked Shane Lechler in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the only punter chosen that year.

Early Success with the Raiders

Lechler started his NFL career strong. In his first game in 2000, he had 10 punts for 424 yards. He also successfully kicked seven extra points in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished his rookie season with a 45.91-yard average per punt. The Raiders made the playoffs that year. Lechler was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and earned First Team All-Pro honors.

In 2001, he continued to perform well. He had a season-high 52.4-yard average in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination that year. The Raiders made the playoffs again.

In 2002, the Raiders had a very successful season. Lechler helped them reach Super Bowl XXXVII. He punted five times in the Super Bowl.

Leading the League in Punting

In 2003, Lechler had a 73-yard punt, which was the longest in the NFL that season. He finished the year with 96 punts for 4,503 yards. He was named First Team All-Pro for the second time.

He earned another Pro Bowl nomination and First Team All-Pro honor in 2004. He continued to be one of the best punters in the league.

Lechler and placekicker Sebastian Janikowski in 2007

In 2007, Lechler had a game with a 51.22-yard average on nine punts. He also punted for 55 yards in the 2008 Pro Bowl.

Lechler punting in 2008

In 2008, he had a game with 11 punts for 556 yards. He finished the season with 90 punts for 4,391 yards.

Lechler in 2009

In 2009, Lechler signed a four-year, $12 million contract. This made him the highest-paid punter in NFL history at the time. He had an amazing season, punting for 4,909 yards. This was a Raiders franchise record for most punting yards in a season. His average was 51.14 yards per punt.

Lechler in 2010

In 2011, Lechler showed his versatility. As the holder for kicker Sebastian Janikowski, he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal. He also kicked a career-best 80-yard punt. This punt set a new franchise record for the longest punt by a Raider.

He finished his time with the Raiders after the 2012 season.

Houston Texans (2013–2017)

In 2013, Lechler signed a three-year deal with the Houston Texans. In his first season with the Texans, he reached a big milestone. He became only the sixth player in NFL history to reach 50,000 punt yards.

In 2014, during a game where many quarterbacks were injured, Lechler almost played as a quarterback again. He had played quarterback in high school. However, he did not need to enter the game.

In 2015, the Texans made the playoffs. Lechler played in his first playoff game since the 2002 season.

In 2016, Lechler signed another contract with the Texans. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for a strong performance against the Detroit Lions. The Texans made the playoffs again that year.

Lechler finished the 2017 season leading the league in punting yards with 4,507 yards. His average was 48.99 yards per punt.

In 2018, Lechler signed another contract with the Texans. However, he was released before the season started. A rookie punter, Trevor Daniel, won the starting job. Lechler said he did not plan to retire at that time.

Retirement

After not playing in the 2018 season, Shane Lechler officially announced his retirement on March 30, 2019. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team. He was also part of the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

Amazing Records

Shane Lechler holds some incredible records in the NFL.

• He punted at least one ball 50 yards or more in 33 games in a row. This streak lasted from 2003 to 2005. It is the longest streak by any player since 1970.
• He was chosen for the Pro Bowl seven times.
• He was named All-Pro nine times, with six of those being First-team selections. No other punter has been named a First-team All-Pro more than Lechler.
• He held the NFL record for the best career average yards per punt for two decades. His average was 47.6 yards when he retired. This record was only broken in 2023 by Michael Dickson and AJ Cole.
• Lechler has the five best single-season punting averages in Raiders history. His best was 51.1 yards in 2009. This is the third-highest single-season average in league history.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season

Postseason

Personal Life

Shane Lechler is married to Erin Gibson. She was also a great athlete, an All-American volleyball player at Texas A&M. Shane comes from a family of athletes. Both of his parents played sports at Baylor. His brother, Derek, was also a punter for Texas A&M. Lechler has said that he is good friends with his former teammate, defensive end J. J. Watt.

See also

• List of most consecutive games played by National Football League players
• List of National Football League annual punting yards leaders
• List of National Football League career punting yards leaders