35 Facts About David Akers

1.

David Roy Akers is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles.

2.

David Akers began his career in 1998 with the Washington Redskins after not making the main roster of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

3.

David Akers 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.

4.

David 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.

5.

David Akers attended college at the University of Louisville and played for the Louisville Cardinals football team.

6.

Between 1997 and 1998, as an undrafted free agent, David Akers spent time trying to make the team with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

7.

David Akers was signed by the Washington Redskins in 1998 and played in one game for them, making two extra points but missing two field goal attempts of 48+ yards each.

8.

David Akers was waived by the Redskins during the 1999 season.

9.

David Akers proved to be one of the biggest special teams surprises in all of the NFL that season.

10.

David Akers made 29 out of 33 field goals, and had a team-record 121 points.

11.

David Akers earned the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month award in November 2000.

12.

David Akers made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2001 as he went 26-for-31, making a team-record seventeen consecutive field goals during the season.

13.

David Akers got fewer chances in 2003, but still made 24 of 29 field goals.

14.

David Akers 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.

15.

David 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.

16.

David Akers missed the next four games and finished the season 16 for 22.

17.

In 2006, David Akers was injury-free, but made only 18 of 23 attempts, his second-worst season statistically.

18.

On December 7,2008, David Akers kicked a 51-yard field goal at Giants Stadium, his longest of the season.

19.

David Akers connected on 33 of 40 field goals, his best percentage since 2004.

20.

On January 11,2009, David Akers kicked three field goals in three attempts during a divisional playoff win over the New York Giants.

21.

David 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.

22.

David Akers had a total of thirty-five postseason field goal conversions during his career.

23.

David Akers was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl, his fourth.

24.

David Akers was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

25.

David Akers was signed by the San Francisco 49ers to a $9 million, three-year contract on July 29,2011.

26.

David Akers kicked a 59-yard field goal just before halftime in a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on August 12,2011.

27.

In that same game against the Seahawks, David Akers broke the all-time record for field goals in a season, surpassing Neil Rackers' 40 in 2005.

28.

On January 1,2012, David Akers broke the NFL record for most points by a kicker in a single season against the St Louis Rams; he finished with 166 points.

29.

David Akers made his sixth Pro Bowl at the end of the season.

30.

On September 9,2012, David 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, tying the overall, and now non-altitude-assisted record.

31.

In track and field, the IAAF denotes any records set 1,000 metres or more above sea level as altitude-assisted records, and the Dempsey and David Akers records were set below the 1,000m threshold.

32.

On March 6,2013, David Akers was released after two seasons with the 49ers.

33.

David Akers has maintained a summer residence in Ocean City, New Jersey.

34.

David Akers has trained in martial arts jiu-jitsu and Shaolin Kempo.

35.

David Akers made a dramatic speech complete with trash talk directed at Cowboys fans, reminiscent to what Drew Pearson did the previous year in Philadelphia.