 Akers with thePhiladelphia Eagles in 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6, 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Kicker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1974-12-09)December 9, 1974 (age 50) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Tates Creek(Lexington) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Louisville (1993–1996) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1997: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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David Roy Akers (/ˈeɪkərz/; born December 9, 1974) is an American former professionalfootballplacekicker who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with thePhiladelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with theWashington Redskins. The following year, he signed with the Eagles, where he spent 12 seasons. Akers was also a member of theSan Francisco 49ers andDetroit Lions before retiring in 2013.
During his career, Akers received sixPro Bowl and two first-teamAll-Pro selections. He also tied the then-NFL record for thelongest successful field goal when he converted a 63-yard field goal, which is the third-longest in league history. Akers is an inductee of thePhiladelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and a member of thePhiladelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, along with being named to the second-team of theNFL 2000s All-Decade Team.
Akers attendedTates Creek High School inLexington, Kentucky.[1]
Akers attended college at theUniversity of Louisville and played for theLouisville Cardinals football team. During his four-year college career, Akers kicked a school-record 36 field goals (with a long of 51 yards againstTexas A&M University), and ranks second on Louisville's all-time scoring list, with 219 points.
Between1997 and1998, as anundrafted free agent, Akers spent time trying to make the team with theAtlanta Falcons andCarolina Panthers.
Akers was signed by theWashington Redskins in1998 and played in one game for them, making twoextra points but missing twofield goal attempts of 48+ yards each. He was waived by the Redskins during the1999 season.
After Washington cut Akers, thePhiladelphia Eagles claimed him off waivers and allocated him toNFL Europe. A solid season with theBerlin Thunder helped him earn the kicking job for the Eagles in2000.
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.
In 2001, Akers made thePro Bowl for the first time, as he went 26-for-31, making a team-record 17 consecutive field goals during the season. He was also selected as anAll-Pro, in a season that saw Philadelphia advance to the first of four consecutive NFC Championship games.
Akers' best statistical season was2002 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 in2003, 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 theNew England Patriots at the newLincoln Financial Field. (The only longer field goals in Eagles' history have beenJake Elliott's 61-yard field goal in 2017 andTony Franklin's 59-yard field goal in 1979.)
In2004, Akers continued his consistent kicking with an 84.4% field goal percentage, and he made his third Pro Bowl. He helped the Eagles to theSuper Bowl that season, where they would be defeated by the New England Patriots.
Injuries got to Akers in2005 when he tore the hamstring in his non-kicking leg during the opening kickoff against theOakland 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.
In2006, 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 theDallas Cowboys, Akers set the Philadelphia Eagles franchise record for most points and onThanksgiving in 2008, Akers passed 1,000 career points during a 48–20 win over theArizona Cardinals.
On December 7, 2008, Akers kicked a 51-yard field goal atGiants 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 the2008 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 victory over theNew 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 EagleGary Anderson. Akers eventually ran his streak to a record 19 consecutive postseason field goal conversions; it was snapped the very next week against theArizona Cardinals. Akers had a total of thirty-five postseason field goal conversions during his career.
Akers was selected to the2010 Pro Bowl, his fourth. He was also named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s.[2] After the 2010 season, Akers was selected to his fifth career Pro Bowl, and named Eagles Special Teams MVP.[3]
Akers was signed by theSan Francisco 49ers 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 theNew Orleans Saints on August 12. On September 18, Akers kicked a 55-yard field goal against theDallas Cowboys, setting a record for the longest field goal made atCandlestick Park.
Akers broke the 49ers' record for most points scored in a season in a 20–3 victory over thePittsburgh Steelers in a Monday Night Football matchup on December 19, 2011.[4] The record was formerly held by the 49ers' Hall of Fame wide receiver,Jerry Rice. In the next game against the Seahawks, Akers broke the all-time record for field goals in a season, surpassingNeil Rackers' 40 in 2005. The following week, Akers broke the NFL record for most points by a kicker in a single season against theSt. Louis Rams; 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 theGreen Bay Packers atLambeau Field, tying the overall, and now non-altitude-assisted record. It was the first non-altitude-assisted kick of that length since 1970.[5] The non-assisted record was originally set byTom Dempsey in 1970 andGraham Gano tied it in 2018. The overall record was shared withJason Elam andSebastian Janikowski (and later beaten byJustin Tucker of theRavens in 2021 atDetroit, which was assisted as an indoor venue) until Broncos kickerMatt Prater broke the record with a 64-yard field goal on December 8, 2013, but those took place inDenver, Colorado, where altitude assistance on field goal kicks, similar to sprint running and throwing events, is known. Likewise, Tucker's 66-yard (and Brandon Aubrey's 65-yard field goal in 2024) field goals took place in retractable roof stadiums with the roof closed, which is similar to situations in athletics where for years the pole vault record was set indoors, where weather conditions (wind, et al.) do not affect the wind blowing the ball during attempts.
The long field goals by Elam, Janikowski, and Prater were all made inDenver, where the ball has the ability to travel slightly farther in thinner air. Elam kicked his 63-yard field goal atMile High Stadium, while the 63-yarder by Janikowski and the 64-yarder by Prater were atSports Authority Field at Mile High. 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.[6][7]
The 49ers advanced toSuper Bowl XLVII 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 theBaltimore Ravens by a 34–31 score.[8]
On March 6, 2013, Akers was released after two seasons with the 49ers.[9]
On April 6, 2013, Akers signed with theDetroit Lions, three days after the retirement of 21-season Lions kickerJason Hanson.[10]
On October 23, 2017, during aMonday Night Football matchup against theWashington Redskins, Akers was inducted into thePhiladelphia Eagles Hall of Fame for his services during his 12 seasons with the team. Prior to the game, Akers signed a ceremonial contract with the team to retire as an Eagle.[11]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGM | FGA | FG% | <20 | 20−29 | 30−39 | 40−49 | 50+ | Lng | XPM | XPA | XP% | ||||
| 1998 | WAS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−2 | 0−0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 2 |
| 1999 | PHI | 16 | 3 | 6 | 50.0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 2−3 | 1−3 | 53 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 11 |
| 2000 | PHI | 16 | 29 | 33 | 87.9 | 1−1 | 6−6 | 14−15 | 7−10 | 1−1 | 51 | 34 | 36 | 94.4 | 121 |
| 2001 | PHI | 16 | 26 | 31 | 83.9 | 1−1 | 9−9 | 7−8 | 7−10 | 2−3 | 50 | 37 | 38 | 97.4 | 115 |
| 2002 | PHI | 16 | 30 | 34 | 88.2 | 0−0 | 9−9 | 14−16 | 6−7 | 1−2 | 51 | 43 | 43 | 100.0 | 133 |
| 2003 | PHI | 16 | 24 | 29 | 82.8 | 0−0 | 9−9 | 7−7 | 6−10 | 2−3 | 57 | 42 | 42 | 100.0 | 114 |
| 2004 | PHI | 16 | 27 | 32 | 84.4 | 0−0 | 4−4 | 6−7 | 15−18 | 2−3 | 51 | 41 | 42 | 97.6 | 122 |
| 2005 | PHI | 12 | 16 | 22 | 72.7 | 0−0 | 3−3 | 7−8 | 5−9 | 1−2 | 50 | 23 | 23 | 100.0 | 71 |
| 2006 | PHI | 16 | 18 | 23 | 78.3 | 0−0 | 9−10 | 3−5 | 6−8 | 0−0 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 100.0 | 102 |
| 2007 | PHI | 16 | 24 | 32 | 75.0 | 0−0 | 12−12 | 10−10 | 1−6 | 1−4 | 53 | 36 | 36 | 100.0 | 108 |
| 2008 | PHI | 16 | 33 | 40 | 82.5 | 2−2 | 11−11 | 10−12 | 8−10 | 2−5 | 51 | 45 | 45 | 100.0 | 144 |
| 2009 | PHI | 16 | 32 | 37 | 86.5 | 1−1 | 11−11 | 8−9 | 11−13 | 1−3 | 52 | 43 | 45 | 95.6 | 139 |
| 2010 | PHI | 16 | 32 | 38 | 84.2 | 0−0 | 12−12 | 9−11 | 10−12 | 1−3 | 50 | 47 | 47 | 100.0 | 143 |
| 2011 | SF | 16 | 44 | 52 | 84.6 | 2−2 | 16−16 | 13−14 | 6−11 | 7−9 | 55 | 34 | 34 | 100.0 | 166 |
| 2012 | SF | 16 | 29 | 42 | 69.0 | 1−1 | 8−9 | 11−13 | 7−13 | 2−6 | 63 | 44 | 44 | 100.0 | 131 |
| 2013 | DET | 16 | 19 | 24 | 79.2 | 1−1 | 5−5 | 6−8 | 4−7 | 3−3 | 53 | 42 | 43 | 97.7 | 99 |
| Career[13] | 237 | 386 | 477 | 80.9 | 9−9 | 124−126 | 125−143 | 101−149 | 27−50 | 63 | 563 | 570 | 98.8 | 1,721 | |
| Year | Team | GP | Field Goals | Extra Points | Points | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FGM | FGA | FG% | <20 | 20−29 | 30−39 | 40−49 | 50+ | Lng | XPM | XPA | XP% | ||||
| 2000 | PHI | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 0−0 | 1−1 | 0−2 | 0-0 | 0−0 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 7 |
| 2001 | PHI | 3 | 6 | 6 | 100.0 | 0−0 | 2−2 | 1−1 | 3−3 | 0−0 | 46 | 10 | 10 | 100.0 | 28 |
| 2002 | PHI | 2 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 3−3 | 0−0 | 0−1 | 39 | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 12 |
| 2003 | PHI | 2 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 2−3 | 1−1 | 0−0 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 11 |
| 2004 | PHI | 3 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 0−0 | 2−2 | 2−2 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 34 | 9 | 9 | 100.0 | 21 |
| 2006 | PHI | 2 | 4 | 4 | 78.3 | 1−1 | 1−1 | 1−1 | 1−1 | 0−0 | 48 | 5 | 5 | 100.0 | 17 |
| 2008 | PHI | 3 | 9 | 10 | 90.0 | 0−0 | 2−2 | 3−3 | 3−4 | 1−1 | 51 | 5 | 6 | 83.3 | 32 |
| 2009 | PHI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 0−0 | − | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 2 |
| 2010 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 0−0 | 1−1 | 0−1 | 0−1 | 0−0 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 4 |
| 2011 | SF | 2 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 0−0 | 2−2 | 1−1 | 1−1 | 0−0 | 41 | 5 | 5 | 100.0 | 17 |
| 2012 | SF | 3 | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 0−0 | 1−1 | 3−4 | 0−0 | 0−0 | 36 | 12 | 12 | 100.0 | 24 |
| Career[13] | 24 | 39 | 47 | 83.0 | 1−1 | 13−13 | 15−20 | 9−11 | 1−2 | 51 | 58 | 59 | 98.8 | 175 | |
Akers and his wife, Erika, reside inFranklin, Tennessee, with their sons Luke and Sawyer and daughter Halley. He has maintained a summer residence inOcean City, New Jersey.[14] Luke is a punter for theNorthwestern Wildcats.[15]
In 2001, the Akers family formed the David Akers Kicks for Kids Foundation, which has established programs with theChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia to benefit sick children and their families. He has also trained in martial artsjiu-jitsu and Shaolin Kempo.[17]
On April 27, 2018, Akers was selected to announce an Eagles second-round draft pick during the2018 NFL draft, which took place at the Cowboys'AT&T Stadium. Akers made a dramatic speech complete withtrash talk directed at Cowboys fans, reminiscent to whatDrew Pearson did theprevious year inPhiladelphia. Akers announcedDallas Goedert as the 49th overall pick.[18][19]
