By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
Brian Moorman – Signed by the Bills in 2001
There’s a story floating around set somewhere in the 2000s. A player had just joined the Bills, and he asked one of his new teammates who the best athlete on the team was. “Brian Moorman” was the reply. When the player then asked, “Are things that bad here?” the response was “No, he’s a hell of an athlete.”
That he was. Moorman not only was a two-time Division II All-American as a punter at Pittsburg State, but he won three straight national championships in the 400-meter run. It’s tough for a football player to receive some notice with that background, but he signed with the Bills in the summer of 2001 and won the punter’s job.
Moorman kept the job until 2012, an eternity in the world of punting. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice, in 2005 and 2006. Moorman finally was cut by the Bills in September, 2012, and played briefly with the Cowboys. The next year he was available when Buffalo cut Shawn Powell and brought Moorman back for one more season. Moorman averaged 43.7 yards per punt in playing 13 seasons with the Bills. He’s the best punter in franchise history.
Here’s a video tribute to him:
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
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