Shane Lechler life and biography

Edward Shane Lechler is an American football punter who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League.

PRO: Among the NFL’s best punters since entering the league in 2000 and has set league and franchise records in his nine pro seasons...Four-time Pro Bowler (2001, 2004, 2007 and 2008)…Named an All-Pro in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2008…Holds NFL record for best average per punt in a career (46.8), topping the legendary Sammy Baugh (45.1)…Holds the five best single-season punting averages in Raiders history, including a career-best 49.1 in 2007, and set a Raider record for most punting yards in a season with 4,503 in 2003...Has punted 682 times for 31,902 yards in his nine-year career…Total punting yards is the second-highest total in Raiders history, behind Ray Guy (44,493)…Had at least one punt of 50 yards or more in 33 consecutive games from Week 13 of 2003 through Week 14 of 2005, the longest such streak by any player since the AFL/NFL Merger in 1970…Two-time AFC Special Teams Player of the Week…Has played in 142 regular season games and seven postseason contests, including Super Bowl XXXVII.

2008: Named to his fourth Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in net punting average (career-high 41.2) and ranking second in the league in punting (48.8)…
Punted 90 times for 4,391 yards…Had a career-high 33 punts land inside the 20-yard line…Registered a punt of 50 or more yards in all 16 games…Posted 14 punts of 60 or more yards…(9/8) vs. DEN: Punted five times for 255 yards (51.0)…Had two touchbacks and one punt inside the 20…(9/14) @ KC: Punted four times for 179 yards (44.8)…Booted a 67-yard punt in the second quarter…(9/21) @ BUF: Punted six times for 305 yards (50.8)…Had a long punt of 57 yards…Added one touchback and four punts inside the 20…(9/28) vs. SD: Had six punts for 302 yards (50.2)…Placed two punts inside the 20…Registered a season-long 70-yard punt .

2007: Earned his third Pro Bowl bid by leading the NFL in both punt average (49.1) and net punt average (41.1)…Registered a punt of 49 yards or more in all 16 regular season games…Punted for a then-career single-game high 461 yards (10/21) vs. KC…Had just seven touchbacks, the fewest in his career…(9/9) vs. DET: Punted three times for 149 yards…Punted 52 yards to pin Detroit at their own 1-yard line in the first quarter…(9/16) @ DEN: Punted four times for 194 yards…Twice pinned the Broncos inside their own 10-yard line, one of which led to Gerard Warren’s sack in the end zone for a safety…(9/23) vs. CLE: Punted three times for 165 yards…Had a 69-yard punt in the first quarter…Downed the Browns inside their own 10-yard line with just over one minute remaining in the game…(9/30) @ MIA: Punted three times for 133 yards…Did not allow a single punt return and downed one punt inside the 20…(10/14) @ SD: Punted four times for 172 yards, including a 62-yarder…(10/21) vs. KC: Punted nine times for 461 yards…Six of his punts were 50 yards or longer -- including a 66-yarder…Downed three punts inside the 20…(10/28) @ TEN: Punted six times for 311 yards…Downed one punt inside the 20…Booted a 70-yard punt into the end zone for a touchback…(11/4) vs. HOU: Punted two times for 126 yards…Netted 60 yards on a first quarter punt to pin Houston inside their own 20…(11/11) vs. CHI: Punted nine times for 433 yards

2006: Played in 16 games and punted 77 times for 3,660 yards, setting a club record for average (47.5)…(9/11) vs. SD: Punted nine times (46.7) with a long of 58, one touchback and four inside the 20…(9/17) @ BAL: Had four punts (53.5) with a long of 61, two touchbacks and one inside the 20…(10/1) vs. CLE: Recorded six punts (48.7) with a long of 58 and three inside the 20…(10/8) @ SF: Punted once for 65 yards…(10/15) @ DEN: Averaged 55 yards on four punts with a long of 67 and one touchback…(10/22) vs. AZ: Had three punts (45.0) with a long of 57…(10/29) vs. PIT: Punted seven times (48.1) with a long of 53, one touchback and three inside the 20

2005: Played in all 16 games and punted 82 times for 3,744 yards (45.7)…Extended his streak of consecutive games with a punt of 50 yards or more to 33, surpassing Rick Tuten’s mark of 30 straight games from 1993-95 with Seattle as the longest streak since the 1970 AFL/NFL Merger…Launched 34 punts of 50 yards or more and had two travel at least 60…Had his best season in terms of placement, downing a career-high 26 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line…45.7 yards per attempt average was the second-highest in the NFL, just 0.003 yards per punt shy of the league lead…Also rushed one time for two yards…

2004: Named to the Pro Bowl for the second time after leading the NFL in punting for the second consecutive year (46.7)…Had a punt travel at least 50 yards in every game, booming 29 punts of 50 yards or longer…Had 10 punts of more than 60 yards…Downed 22 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line…(9/12) @ PIT: Punted three times for 132 yards, including a 63-yarder, and had one kick downed inside the Pittsburgh 20-yard line…(9/19) vs. BUF: Punted five times (49.8) with a long of 62 yards…Had two punts downed inside the Buffalo 20-yard line…(9/26) vs. TB: Boomed a pair of 50-yard punts and had one punt downed at the Tampa Bay 7-yard line…(10/3) @ HOU: Punted three times (48.7)…(10/10) @ IND: Punted four times (55.5) including punts of 61 and 64 yards…Landed two punts inside the Colts 20-yard line…(10/17) vs. DEN: Punted seven times (47.6) and a long of 65, his fifth punt of the season of more than 60 yards…Landed one punt inside the Broncos 20-yard line…(10/24) vs. NO: Punted five times (39.0)…Landed two punts inside the New Orleans 20-yard line and had a long punt of 60 yards, his sixth of the season of at least 60 yards…

2003: Had perhaps his best season as a professional…Posted career highs in attempts (96), punting yards (4,503-led NFL) and punts downed inside the 20-yard line (27)…Boomed eight punts of more than 60 yards and two of more than 70…Averaged more than 50 yards per punt in six games…Named to the Associated Press All-Pro team…46.9 yards per punt was the highest average in the NFL and his 73-yarder vs. San Diego on 9/28 was the NFL’s longest punt of the season…

2002: Had another solid season punting 53 times for 2,251 yards (42.5) while ranking fourth in the AFC and eighth in the NFL...Had a season long punt of 70 yards while placing 18 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with 12 touchbacks...(9/8) vs. SEA: Inactive

2001: Named to his first Pro Bowl following another spectacular season...Punted 73 times for 3,375 yards...46.2 average ranked first in the AFC and second in the NFL...Placed 23 of his 73 punts inside the 20-yard line...Tied for second in the AFC and third in the NFL on punts of more than 50 yards with 21...Finished first in the AFC and third in the NFL on punts of more than 60 yards with eight .

COLLEGE:
Finished college career at Texas A&M with a pair of NCAA records: career punt average (44.7) and career games with a 40-yard-plus average (37)...Two-time All-American and a three-time All-Big 12 selection as a punter...Finished his career with 268 punts for 11,977 yards...Set school and Big 12 records for career punts, yardage, career gross and net average (40.6), career 40-yard and 50-yard (10) game averages and single season gross average (46.9, 1997)…Did not have a punt blocked and did not allow a punt return for a touchdown during his career…As senior, earned first team All-America and All-Big 12 honors after averaging 46.5 yards on 60 punts…Posted 17 “coffin corner” kicks and nine fair catches…Posted nine 40-yard-plus game averages and three 50-yard-plus game performances…Broke his own single game punt average record with a 57.2 performance against Texas Tech…Posted a 42.7 net punt average, which beat his own school record by over a yard…Gross average of 46.5 was No. 2 in school history behind his 46.9 effort in 1997…Also handled the kickoff duties and was the holder on placements before taking over the place kicker job for the final two games of the season...Connected on six of eight extra points and on his lone field goal attempt…In 1998, was first team All-Big 12 selection at punter for the second straight year after averaging 43.6 yards per boot and recording 21 “coffin corner” punts...Also named first team All-American...His net punt average was 39.2, while his 43.6 gross average was the No. 3 best single-season effort in A&M history behind his 1997 average of 47...Had single game averages more than 50 yards against Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi…Threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal against Texas Tech…As sophomore, earned All-Big 12 honors and All-America mention after averaging 47.0 yards per punt…1997 average shattered the A&M record of 43.8 set by David Davis in 1992...His season net average was 41.3, which broke the school record of 40.1...Had three games with a 50-yard plus average…Booted 50-yard-plus punts in 10 of 12 contests…Earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors after averaging 44.0 yards on six punts in the rain vs. Texas...In 1996 as redshirt freshman, earned Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News after averaging an A&M freshman record 42.7 yards per boot on 72 punts…Average ranked No. 29 nationally and was the top average by a freshman...Set a single game school record by averaging 54.7 yards per punt against Iowa State, including a pair of crucial 70-yarders…Had 50-yard plus punts in nine of 12 contests...Saw action at quarterback but did not throw a pass...History major.

PERSONAL:
As starting quarterback, punter and place kicker, led East Bernard High in hometown of Sealy, Texas to a 12-2 record and the quarterfinals of the playoffs...Completed 87 of 101 (86.1 percent) passes for 1,640 yards and 11 touchdowns…Passed for nearly 5,000 yards and averaged 41.6 yards as a punter and had punts of 85 and 78 yards…Also lettered in baseball and basketball…Father played football while his mother played basketball at Baylor...Married, wife Erin was an All-American volleyball player at Texas A&M.

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