Kyle Larson (American football)

Kyle Larson (born September 2, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Kyle Larson

No. 19
Position:	Punter
Personal information
Born:	(1980-09-02) September 2, 1980 Kearney, Nebraska, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Kearney
College:	Nebraska
Undrafted:	2004
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2004–2008)
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2004) First-team All-American (2003) First-team All-Big 12 (2003) Second-team All-Big 12 (2002)
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 379 Punt yards: 15,900 Punting yard average: 42.0 Longest punt: 75 Punts inside the 20: 109 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Larson attended Kearney High School in Kearney, Nebraska, but is a native of Funk, Nebraska. He saw action at center, linebacker, and punter, and as a senior, he won All-State honors at punter after averaging 46.5 yards per punt. In addition to football, Larson competed in track and field. Larson was a member of Kearney High's 1999 Class A State Championship team where he placed 2nd in discus and 3rd in shot put at the Nebraska State Track Meet.

College career

Larson was a walk-on at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Following a redshirt season in 1999, he backed up starter Dan Hadenfeldt in 2000. He then started from 2001 to 2003. Larson played in the 2002 BCS National Championship Game vs. the Miami Hurricanes, and helped Nebraska beat Michigan State in the 2003 Alamo Bowl. He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award his junior year, and finalist his senior year, as well as being named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He benched 405 pounds his senior year and hang cleaned 458. As a senior in 2003, Larson set the Nebraska record with a 45.1-yard avg. on 66 punts, the record would later be broken by Sam Koch. Larson also earned All-Big 12 honors. He graduated with a degree in business administration.

Professional career

Larson was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as a college free agent on April 27, 2004. He made his NFL debut at the New York Jets on September 12. In his opening season he averaged 42.2 yards from 83 punts and even scored a touchdown from a fake field goal attempt at the New England Patriots on December 12. He was part of the Bengals turn around, helping them get their first winning season in 15 years, by becoming the AFC North Champions in 2005. Larson played in the AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 8, 2006. He played in every game in his 5 seasons with the Bengals.

Larson was waived on April 28, 2009.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Punting
		GP	Punts	Yds	Net Yds	Lng	Avg	Net Avg	Blk	Ins20	TB
2004	CIN	16	83	3,499	2,981	66	42.2	35.5	1	21	7
2005	CIN	16	60	2,591	2,171	75	43.2	35.6	1	13	8
2006	CIN	16	77	3,428	2,972	67	44.5	38.6	0	26	11
2007	CIN	16	59	2,437	2,078	55	41.3	35.2	0	21	3
2008	CIN	16	100	3,945	3,449	57	39.5	34.1	1	28	3
Career		80	379	15,900	13,651	75	42.0	35.7	3	109	32

Playoffs

Year	Team	Punting
		GP	Punts	Yds	Net Yds	Lng	Avg	Net Avg	Blk	Ins20	TB
2005	CIN	1	3	131	110	51	43.7	36.7	0	0	0
Career		1	3	131	110	51	43.7	36.7	0	0	0

Personal life

Kyle and his wife Lindsay have 4 sons. He holds a degree in business administration from University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and during his college career he was three-time member of Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. Hobbies include working on his family's farm in Nebraska as well as hunting and fishing. Kyle was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

External links

• Cincinnati Bengals bio