Russell Erxleben

Russell Erxleben
No. 14, 15
PositionsPunter
Kicker
Personal information
Born (1957-01-13) January 13, 1957
Seguin, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High schoolSeguin
CollegeTexas
NFL draft1979: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
NCAA record
Career NFL statistics
Punts280
Punting yards11,381
Punting yards average40.6
Longest punt60
Field goals attempted8
Field goals made4
Field goal %50.0%
Longest field goal38 yards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Russell Erxleben (born January 13, 1957) is an American former professional football player and investor. A highly decorated college kicker for the University of Texas, Erxleben was a three-time All-American punter (1976, 1977, and 1978) and set the record for the longest successful field goal in NCAA history at 67 yards, which is still tied today. He was unexpectedly selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL draft as a combination kicker and punter, where he remains the highest drafted punter and the second highest kicker in NFL history. Erxleben only spent six years in the NFL and was widely described as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts. He later became a currency investor, and was convicted of securities fraud in 1999. Although he was released in 2005, he was once again convicted of investment fraud in 2014 and sentenced to 90 months (7+12 years) in federal prison.