Sean Landeta

Sean Edward Landeta (born January 6, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in both the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL).

As a member of the Green Bay Packers, he set a club record for the highest net punting average and most punts inside the 20 in team history (since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970).

At Loch Raven High School in Towson, Maryland, Landeta was an All-City and All-Metro punter in his only season (1978).

Landeta kicked a 41-yard field goal on his first attempt in his first game.

His longest punt was 76 yards, which still stands as a school record.

He first began playing organized football as a high school senior.

Before his pro career, he played college football at Towson University in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

He started as a freshman for Towson at the age of 17.

He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team as the first punter and the 1990s All-Decade Team as the second punter, as chosen by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee members.

He is one of 29 individuals to be selected to multiple All-Decade teams in NFL history.

He is one of six punters to be selected as an All-Pro three times in NFL history.

Landeta grew up in Baltimore, Maryland.

Landeta originally began kicking as a nine-year-old.

He led the nation in punting (NCAA Division II) in 1980 and was named First-Team All American in 1982 (NCAA Division II).

He became the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in punting and field goals in the same season (1980).

Landeta played almost half of his career for the New York Giants, where he won two championship rings in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV.

He also played for the Rams, Buccaneers, Packers and Eagles.

Landeta was the last active NFL player who played in the United States Football League in the 1980s, punting for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars in all three of the original USFL's seasons.

Landeta booted a school record 72-yard punt in 1981 and hit the school record 57-yard field goal in 1980.

Landeta was named as the punter to the All-USFL team in 1983 and 1984.

The Stars won back-to-back USFL championships in 1984 and 1985.

Landeta played 22 seasons in the NFL for five different teams between 1985 and 2006.

Upon the USFL's folding, Landeta joined the NFL's New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls in 1986 and 1990 in his nine seasons with the team (he would return in 2006, in what would be his last season as an active player).

He then played for the Los Angeles/St.

Louis Rams from 1993–1996.

In 1994, Landeta led the NFL in punting with a 44.8-yard average playing for the Los Angeles Rams.

After spending one season (1997) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he moved on to play for the Green Bay Packers in 1998.

He also recorded the longest punt in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, with a 74-yarder in 1997 in a game against the New York Jets.

Landeta led the NFL in punts with 107 in 1999, led the NFL in gross punting in 1994 with a 44.8 average, led the NFL with a 37.8 net average in 1989, and led the league with 24 punts inside the 20 in 1990.

In 1999, he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He spent five seasons with the Eagles where he became the oldest punter in NFL history at the age of 44.

Other career highlights include being the first punter in NFL history to average more than 50-yards per punt in a game in three different decades.

As a member of the Eagles, Landeta set the NFL's all-time record for number of punts in a career, punting yardage and punts inside the 20 during the 2001 season.

By the time Landeta retired, his punts, punting yards, and punts inside the 20 were either first or second in NFL history.

Landeta was also the longest-tenured punter in NFL history and is still the oldest punter to ever appear in an NFL game.

In addition, Landeta became the first punter in NFL history to earn a $1 million annual salary.

Landeta was also named to ESPN's list of 50 All-Time Greatest New York Giants players.

He re-joined the Rams for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, giving him six years with the organization.

He had last appeared in game action in 2005, but was briefly on the Giants roster in 2006, despite not appearing in a game for them that season.

On March 6, 2008, the 25th anniversary of Landeta's first game in the USFL, he officially announced his retirement from professional football.