Of all the positions on a professional football team, punter is arguably the least glamorous.
Punters are only called upon when the offense stalls and they are roundly booed by the home crowd if they shank a punt.
Even worse, most NFL franchises look at punters as easily expendable assets that any journeyman or former soccer player can fill.
Unfortunately, that might actually be true, at least in some cases.
Despite the blatant disrespect regarding the position by pro football clubs, Jeff Feagles rarely had to worry about his place on a team.
18 Days Until New York #Giants Football Returns With Former Punter, Jeff Feagles! #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/CLcPVHa3Of
— The Giant Take Podcast (@TheGiantTakePod) August 24, 2022
During a 22-year career with five teams, Feagles was consistently one of the best punters in the league.
He began his career as a selection for the PFWA All-Rookie Team and proceeded to be a two-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion.
Feagles also set several NFL records, including consecutive games played and number of career punting yards.
After retiring, he pivoted to real estate and three of his four sons followed in his footsteps as football players.
This is the story of Jeff Feagles.
Natural Talent
Jeffrey Allan Feagles was born on March 7, 1966, in Anaheim, California.
Jeff Feagles and Dr. Scott Sullivan Join Cardinal O'Malley at Men's Conference https://t.co/jsKIybJsYn pic.twitter.com/0IRtXSH5h3
— Catholic Cemeteries (@rcancem) February 24, 2017
The family relocated to the Phoenix area not long after his birth.
Feagles’ future as a professional punter began at a very early age and somewhat by accident.
Jeff’s father, Dennis, was a Pop Warner coach in the Phoenix area, and he coached his oldest son, Chris, while Jeff waited nearby.
Bored almost to tears, Feagles decided to waste time by picking up footballs and punting them as far as he could.
It wasn’t long before his hobby started disturbing his father’s practices.
“All of a sudden these balls would be coming in from nowhere, like bombs,” Dennis Feagles said in 2004. “Punts were being lobbed into the middle of our practice.”
Although he was a little miffed at his son’s intrusion, the elder Feagles liked that Jeff found something productive to do while passing time.
“Otherwise, he would just kind of fool around and get in everyone’s way,” Dennis Feagles said.
Until then, no one in the Feagles family had any background in kicking.
Jeff just happened to pick up a ball one day and decided to keep practicing.
He continued punting the football occasionally as he aged even though he was mostly found on the baseball diamond and basketball court at Gerard High School.
Feagles lettered in both sports then, when he finally decided to play football his senior year, he lettered in that sport as well.
“It [Gerard] was a small school with only 58 or 60 kids in my graduating class,” Feagles explained to Sports Illustrated years later. “We didn’t have a lot of kids on the team, so I went out to add another body. I tried quarterback but hardly played. There was a kicker, so I didn’t kick. Finally the coach said, ‘Who can punt?’ And I got the job.”
Indirect Route to Miami
As he was punting footballs for a high school that would eventually cease to exist in 1989, the coaches at nearby Scottsdale Community College saw him.
Feagles was offered a spot on the Fighting Artichokes’ roster, and he accepted.
Following his first (and only) season with SCC, Dennis Feagles had his son attend a camp where he could work with renowned kicking coach Steve Hoffman.
He did well and learned a lot from Hoffman before attending another camp led by punting coach Ray Pelfrey.
61 days until Canes Football.
Jeff Feagles earned his place in the @UMSHoF after several stellar seasons at Miami, including a dominant 1987 as part of a title team. His NFL accolades are even stronger, as the 22 year pro is the all time NFL leader in punting.#CanesCountdown pic.twitter.com/36cL4QhWKl
— Canes Legacy (@CanesLegacy) July 5, 2021
By the time camp ended, Feagles was noticed by some of the biggest schools in the nation, including the University of Miami.
“I got noticed and ended up going to Miami,” Feagles said.
“The U”
Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson had just wrapped his first year with the program in 1984.
Miami’s 8-5 record wasn’t nearly as good as former coach Howard Schnellenberger’s 11-1 record in 1983 that claimed the school’s first football national title.
Intent on finding the best players possible, at all positions, Feagles joined Johnson’s motley crew in 1985.
38 days until Canes Football.
Back to back specialists on the countdown as we creep closer to game day. Jeff Feagles was as good as it gets for Canes Punters, helping Miami win the 1987 national title. #CanesCountdown pic.twitter.com/WcILbijlFs
— Canes Legacy (@CanesLegacy) July 26, 2023
At the time, the ‘Canes boasted a highly talented outfit that included names such as Vinny Testaverde, Alonzo Highsmith, Melvin Bratton, Michael Irvin, Brian Blades, Bennie Blades and Jerome Brown.
To say that Feagles was thrust into the fray of big time college athletics is an understatement.
“Miami had recently come off a national championship, and all I’d had were two years of football—one in high school, one in junior college. So it’s my sophomore year, and I’m lining up against the University of Florida. I go from 500 people in the stands to 75,000 in a stadium. It was a shock, but I did O.K,” said Feagles.
He did more than okay.
Miami’s 1985 team posted a 10-2 record followed by 11-1 in 1986, when Feagles regularly punted the ball with authority.
Miami was undefeated that season before losing to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.
The game-sealing interception!@PennStateFball LB Pete Giftopoulos picks off Vinny Testaverde on 4th and goal to win the 1987 @Fiesta_Bowl! #NBCSNVault pic.twitter.com/ALGREkTEUX
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 2, 2020
However, during the 14-10 loss, Feagles pinned the ears back on the Nittany Lions for most of the contest with a 46 yards per punt average.
That set a program record for a bowl game and eventually led to a spot on the Fiesta Bowl’s 1980s All-Decade first-team.
1987
It was only a matter of time, but Coach Johnson’s program returned to the pinnacle in 1987, Feagles’s senior year.
Sophomore Steve Walsh was the starter under center and helped lead a talented, brazen team to an undefeated regular season.
Feagles averaged a magnificent 40.8 yards per boot in 1987 and only 12 of his 34 punts were returned.
38 days until Canes Football.
It’s hard to argue against Jeff Feagles as the best punter in Cane history. The UM Sports Hall of Famer was dominant on their path to the ‘87 title; other teams only returned 12 of his 34 punts while he averaged over 40 yards a punt.#CanesCountdown pic.twitter.com/bXNzg7KuBL
— Canes Legacy (@CanesLegacy) July 29, 2020
The combined total of those dozen punt returns amounted to less than 100 yards.
Then, on New Year’s Day of 1988, the ‘Canes met the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl.
Tied 7-7 at halftime, Miami outscored the Sooners in the second half, 13-7, to eventually win, 20-14.
During his time in Coral Gables, Feagles averaged 39.2 yards per punt and secured a ring as a National Champion in 1987.
He was added to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Undrafted
Feagles might have been a national champion as the punter on the best college team in the land, but that mattered not to NFL front offices.
None of the sport’s franchise’s selected Feagles in the 1988 NFL Draft, despite the need of a good punter for numerous woeful organizations.
Not long after the draft, the New England Patriots reached out to Feagles.
Then-head coach Raymond Berry was less than thrilled with Al Herline, who handled punting and some kicking duties in 1987.
Happy 56th bday Jeff Feagles! The 2x Pro Bowler is 1st all-time in punts & punt yards. Punted for 71,211 yards in his career, or nearly 13.5 miles. Started career with the Patriots, ended & punted the longest with Giants, punting for 3 teams in between. @Jfeagles pic.twitter.com/B8jTvbNLxS
— Scott F (@TheFrizz87) March 7, 2022
Berry and his staff brought Feagles in as an undrafted free agent and he responded with 91 punts for 3,482 yards, a long of 74 yards and an average yards per punt of 38.3.
Following the year, the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) named him to its All-Rookie Team.
It was obvious that Feagles’s ability to play well at the highest level had something to do with his time with the Hurricanes and the massive expectations of a national champion program.
“I think this speaks to why I’ve done well as a professional,” he said years later. “I’ve been able to block out distractions and not worry about the crowds and the pressure.”
One season later, Feagles averaged 38.0 yards per punt on just 63 punts as New England went 5-11 in Berry’s last year with the organization.
Feagles Joins the Eagles
The end of Berry’s tenure also meant the end of Feagles’s time with the Pats.
He was released and the punter wondered if his time as a pro football player was done.
Thankfully, his craft was respected by some of the coaches in the NFL, including then-Philadelphia head coach Buddy Ryan.
Success with Eagles and Giants punter Jeff Feagles who is a 2x Pro Bowler, a 2x Super Bowl Champion, and holds the all-time records for punts and punting yards. Link to SASE Sports Sigs in bio. #JeffFeagles #Eagles #Giants @autographblog pic.twitter.com/tPPGKnUgIF
— Chris @ SASE Sports Sigs.net (@sasesportssigs) October 7, 2020
Ryan brought Feagles in, signed him to a contract and added the punter to a roster that included uber-talented QB Randall Cunningham and defensive end Reggie White.
Feagles was also reunited with his former Hurricanes teammate, defensive tackle Jerome Brown.
“I couldn’t believe it. I’d just got fired, basically, and Buddy Ryan called,” Feagles said. “I was pretty excited to think that I would have another chance to prove that I could still play in the league. I knew that Buddy was a defensive guy and he loved to have the ball pin the offensive team inside the 20-yard line. When I got there he told me, ‘Hey, just do a good job for me and we’ll get along fine.'”
Feagles and the Eagles did more than fine, at least during the regular season.
In 1990, the punter averaged 42.0 yards per boot while the team went 10-6, then lost in the wild card round to Washington.
A year later, Feagles led the NFL with 87 punts and averaged 41.8 yards per kick while Philly missed the playoffs despite repeating with a 10-6 record.
Jeff Feagles
Punter
Philadelphia Eagles (1990-1993) pic.twitter.com/pHot4tfxdF— Random Philly Athletes (@philly_athletes) September 9, 2022
He also led the league in 1991 with an astounding 29 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line under first-year head coach Rich Kotite.
The Eagles went 11-5 in 1992, as Feagles had a 42.2 yard average, and notched their first playoff win since 1980 after downing New Orleans, 36-20, in the wild card round.
One week later, the franchise lost to Dallas by 24 points in the divisional round.
Feagles posted a 40.0 yard average in 1993, the same year the Eagles went 8-8 and missed the postseason.
“It was kind of disappointing,” said Feagles in 2015. “We were doing well and everything, but I really think that we had a team to make it to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we didn’t. If you think about all the players that were on those teams, especially our defense, we certainly underachieved at that point. But I was a young guy and being around all those veterans and learning how they played football, how they did their job, I really learned a lot from them in the growing stages of my early career.”
Despite being one of the most consistent punters in the league and never missing a game, Kotite and the Philly front office let Feagles go following the ‘93 season.
Finally a Pro Bowler
Thankfully, Feagles had a lifeline to continue his NFL career.
Buddy Ryan had just been named the new head coach of the newly rechristened Arizona Cardinals before the 1994 season.
Ryan brought many of his former Philly players with him to the desert, including Feagles (who was back in his home state), Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Terry Hoage and Andre Waters.
Arizona hadn’t won more than seven games in a season since 1984, when the franchise was still based in St. Louis.
Ryan’s bunch began the year 0-3 before righting the ship and finishing with a respectable 8-8 record.
Jeff Feagles was known for directional punting during his two decade NFL career and a his time with the Giants. But in 1994 he showed some athleticism with the Cardinals running a fake punt for a first down to catch his future team off guard. @BigBlueVCR #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/KQpTXUQhfL
— Gershon Rabinowitz (@GershOnline) December 10, 2020
Feagles led the NFL with 98 punts for a 40.8 yard average.
A season later, while the Cards floundered to 4-12, Feagles was voted to his first career Pro Bowl, recognized at last for his unique talent and 43.8 yards per boot average.
Coach Ryan was given his walking papers following the 1995 season and Vince Tobin took over.
Two years and only 11 victories came next, but Feagles was still one of the best punters in the league, sporting 43.8 and 44.3 (career-best) averages, respectively, for 1996 and 1997.
Once again, however, Feagles was released after his best season as a pro.
A Seahawk
In 1997, Seattle Seahawks punter, Rick Tuten, sustained an injury and the team used two other punters in his stead.
Before the 1998 season, then-head coach Dennis Erickson chose to sign Feagles to a five-year deal worth $4 million instead of bringing Tuten back.
“There will be no competition in the Seahawks’ training camp,” Feagles’ agent, Steve Weinberg said. “Rick Tuten won’t be in Seattle next season.”
Right away, the punter proved worthy of his hefty contract with a 44-yard average in 1998.
Who is your personal favorite Seattle Seahawks place kicker? Favorite punter?
My favorite kicker is easily Stephen Hauschka.
Punter I'll go with Jeff Feagles. pic.twitter.com/c2KlZgR3Pv
— Scott F (@TheFrizz87) February 19, 2025
After an 8-8 season, Erickson was fired and former Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren took over in 1999.
The franchise then qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 1980s.
Unfortunately, Seattle struggled the next three seasons with a 9-7 record in 2001 being the lone bright spot.
Feagles remained consistent during this period and even took a small pay cut to help the team before 2002.
When the ‘02 season concluded, he was not retained by the Seahawks.
During his time in the Pacific Northwest, Feagles averaged 42.1 yards per punt and had 133 punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, a team record until 2011.
Feagles Signs With the G-Men
15 years was a good pro career for any player, let alone a punter.
No one would have blamed Feagles for hanging up his spurs after his final season in Seattle, but he wasn’t done yet.
New York Giants head coach, Jim Fassel, brought in Feagles for the 2003 season.
That year, he averaged 40.5 yards per boot while the G-Men cratered to 4-12.
Jeff Feagles wore 3 different numbers in the matter of 3 seasons with the Giants. 10 in 2003 (taken by E. Manning), 17 in 2004 (taken by P. Burress), and 18 from 2005-2009. pic.twitter.com/Uayj3Jwfxm
— Equipment Geek (@EquipmentGeek) May 21, 2020
Before 2005, Tom Coughlin was hired to lead the organization.
The surly new coach kept Feagles, who showed up every day to work, just as he had done the previous decade plus.
In fact, during a Week 12 game against his former Seahawks team in 2005, Feagles set the NFL record for 283 consecutive games played with a 39-yard punt in the first quarter.
“We pinch ourselves all the time,” said Feagles’ wife, Michelle. “Of all people that would be in this position, it just blows me away. Not as far as his focus and drive, just the fact he never played high school football (until his senior year). It’s such a Cinderella story, a great story. We’re shocked. It’s amazing. The first year we said, ‘If we could just get two years under our belts, we’ll have a nice nest egg.’ It’s just hilarious.’”
Feagles broke the previous record that former Vikings player, Jim Marshall, set upon his retirement in 1979 with 282 consecutive games.
It is now one month away from the 10th Annual Colts Neck Business Association Luncheon on March 21st! Come out and join the CNBA for an afternoon of networking, fun conversation and the chance to meet Jeff Feagles, NY Giants Super Bowl Champion. #cnba #csav #network pic.twitter.com/HLHvnQRHCM
— CSAV Systems (@CSAV_Systems) February 21, 2018
Once the ‘05 season concluded, Feagles planned to retire due to a balky right knee.
That changed when Coughlin had a long conversation with his punter and encouraged him to return.
“I’m very honest with the guys and I thought Jeff could continue to play,” Coughlin said in 2008. “Whether he was 38, 39, or whatever, he was in great shape and a very, very good athlete and still performing at a very high level.”
Feagles appreciated that his coach wanted him to return and signed up for a 19th season.
“He was encouraging me,” Feagles said. “He said: ‘This is what you do. What else are you going to be doing if you’re not a football player?’ He went over those kinds of things and emphasized how important family was, but to do the right thing for your family and your career, and things just worked out.”
A 40.2 yard average in 2006 led to a 40.4 yard average in 2007, the same year that New York shocked the sports world by finishing 10-6 yet advancing to play in Super Bowl XLII.
Playing in his First Super Bowl
It goes without saying that Feagles was over the moon regarding his decision to stay with the Giants instead of retiring.
With our partner @Giants rookies reporting to training camp today, we're reminded of when Jeff Feagles & @EliManning hashed out a deal for the number 10, as told on our podcast, The Yield. #GoodGuyEli pic.twitter.com/QU2oTzyH0W
— Yieldstreet (@Yieldstreet) July 19, 2022
In his 20th NFL season, Feagles was finally going to experience the Super Bowl.
“There are not too many firsts that I haven’t done being around as long as I have,” Feagles said. “It’s like being a rookie all over. I’m happy for it. I’m as giddy as a rookie.”
Even better, he was going to play the contest in his native Arizona and compete against his first employer, the Patriots, who had just wrapped an undefeated 16-0 regular season.
“That’s why I have kept coming back,” said Feagles, who will be a free agent after this season. “This is the one thing that I have not accomplished in my career. You have all the personal goals, the Pro Bowl and things like that. This is a team one and I just happen to be a part of this team.”
All afternoon, New York consistently stifled the Pats’ offensive attack of Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker.
Join Super Bowl XLII champion Jeff Feagles at Sunday's @MUHawks basketball game. Meet Jeff before Monmouth tips off at 2 PM, he will sign autographs beginning at 1 PM. pic.twitter.com/8Py3nl4sEa
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 31, 2018
Still, the undefeated New Englanders were leading, 14-10, with less than three minutes remaining.
Just when it looked like the Giants season was over, quarterback Eli Manning shook loose a couple Patriots defenders on 3rd-and-5 with 1:15 remaining.
Manning then heaved the ball in the direction of receiver David Tyree who somehow came down with the pigskin pinned to his helmet despite Rodney Harrison of the Pats attempting to knock it loose.
Also be sure to wish a Happy Big Blue Birthday to former New York Giants punter @Jfeagles (Jeff Feagles)! #nyg pic.twitter.com/byuXe1Nsgb
— Giants 101 (@Giants_101) March 7, 2014
Tyree’s miracle catch led to a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left.
New York held on for an improbable 17-14 upset and Feagles had a world championship ring.
Feagles Retires
It proved to be a great few years for Feagles.
He snagged a world title in 2007, then went to his second Pro Bowl after averaging 44 yards per punt in 2008.
Feagles stuck around for his 22nd NFL season in 2009 and averaged 40.7 yards per punt as the G-Men went 8-8.
Veteran NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano rated the New York Giants' signing of punter Jeff Feagles back in 2003 as one the best of all-time. https://t.co/0fzwPcVLqX pic.twitter.com/yoXVVLo1l7
— TheGiantsWire (@TheGiantsWire) March 18, 2025
As the 2010 NFL season loomed, Feagles was still a member of the New York organization before deciding to call it quits due to health concerns.
“He is 44 years old,” Coughlin said last weekend after the draft. “He worked very hard for approximately a month right after the season just to try to tell himself again that he could do this and wanted to be able to do it. And then ran into some — as we went on and started the offseason program — ran into some of the physical tests that you have to go through as you continue to advance almost on a weekly basis. He has a program which is unique to himself, but he is having some physical issues. And so he has decided to deal with them.”
His retirement officially gave Feagles the distinction of being the penultimate Tecmo Super Bowl digital athlete to retire.
Fans of the old 8-bit game (released in 1991) knew that Feagles, linebacker Junior Seau and kicker John Carney were the only Tecmo players still active in 2009.
However, Seau retired after 2009, and Feagles hung on for a few more months before retiring before the 2010 season.
Carney kicked for New Orleans for five games in 2010 before getting released.
During his career, Feagles punted the ball 1,713 times (all-time NFL leader) for 71,211 yards (most in NFL history) and an overall net average of 41.6 yards per punt and 554 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
In his final 20 seasons, Feagles had at least 20 or more punts downed inside the 20, an NFL record.
Only 12 of his punts were blocked and he left the game as the NFL’s all-time leader in consecutive games played with 352, an amazing feat regardless of position.
Happy 50th birthday to retired #NFL punter Jeff Feagles, owner of all-time record for most consecutive games played! pic.twitter.com/7katPIAChQ
— Sports News 2 Go (@SportsNews2Go) March 7, 2016
Since his retirement, there has been an uptick in the number of media members who are calling for Feagles to be added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I think the biggest component to that is my health,” said Feagles. “Always being in great shape and doing things off the field that aren’t really ever noticed or even talked about. That’s doing the massages, taking care of your body, doing things that you really need to do. A sports psychologist was another big one that I put a lot of credence in. I worked with a sports psychologist for a good 10 years. Being able to handle those types of pressure situations in games and being able to move on from a bad kick and move on from one game to the next.”
Life After Football
When Feagles was still a member of the Seahawks in 2000, he began preparing for life after his eventual retirement.
It’s #GivingTuesday2018! @HackensackUMC Foundation is celebrating with our more than 8,000 team members #givingforward. We have our friends from the @Giants @GiantsCRDept Jeff Feagles and OJ Anderson signing mini helmets for a donation. #GivingTuesday @HMHNewJersey pic.twitter.com/blFLomsdQo
— Mark Sparta (@MarkSpartaFACHE) November 27, 2018
During the offseason that year, the punter became a real estate agent and dabbled in the industry through the final decade of his career.
Upon leaving pro football, Feagles and his family relocated to New Jersey full-time where he launched into his second life as a real estate agent for Keller Williams.
“I started in 2000,” said Feagles. “I know through all the years that I was in the NFL, and all the life skills seminars I went to, everybody talked about transitioning out of football, to try to find something that you’re going to enjoy to do. I wanted to have something to fall back on so when I was done playing, that I had some experience.”
He also did pre and post game analysis as a radio broadcaster for New York Giants football.
Feagles and his wife, Michelle, have four sons, three of whom played college football.
The University of Miami picked up a commitment this week from 2017 punter Zach Feagles, son of ex-Cane Jeff Feagles pic.twitter.com/iyd0pXGpHA
— Brandon Kornblue (@KornblueKicking) June 30, 2016
Zach Feagles followed in his father’s footsteps by punting for two years with the University of Miami before transferring to Rutgers University for his senior season in 2020.
References
https://vault.si.com/vault/2009/12/21/hang-em-high
https://www.eastvalleytribune.com
https://a.espncdn.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1380455.html
https://50.seahawks.com/players/jeff-feagles
https://www.registercitizen.com
https://www.profootballhof.com
https://www.umsportshalloffame.com/jeff-feagles.html
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com
https://nfl-pe-stage.azurewebsites.net
https://www.espn.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5143605
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FeagJe20.htm
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