Kickers don't play every snap on one side of the ball like other Hall of Famers do, but every NFL fan base knows the value of a great kicker when the margins are close.
For nearly a quarter-century, Adam Vinatieri reminded football fans just how critical a kicker can be, from his reliable Sunday performances to his memorable Super Bowl kicks. His 24-year career put him in the Hall of Fame, where he will take his place among a small group of kickers to receive a gold jacket.
Here's a look at how many kickers are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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How many kickers are in the Hall of Fame?
Only three kickers have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jan Stenerud, Morten Andersen and Vinatieri.
Even the greatest kickers in NFL history have been subject to debates about their value and whether it's enough to enter the Hall of Fame alongside players who played every down on one side of the ball, but you could argue that you can't tell the story of the NFL without these three kickers.
Stenerud became the first kicker elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991, just six years after his 19-year career ended, while Andersen was elected in 2017, 10 years after wrapping up a 25-year career.
Vinatieri only had to wait until his second year on the ballot to hear his name called. Given he is the NFL's all-time leader in field goals made, with three seasons as the NFL's most accurate kicker and a lengthy playoff track record, there was little doubt Vinatieri would find his way to Canton at some point even knowing the obstacles kickers face.
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Kickers in the Hall of Fame
Jan Stenerud
Norwegian-born Jan Stenerud was a key piece on Chiefs teams that dominated the early days of the Super Bowl era.
Stenerud won Super Bowl 4 with Kansas City in his third NFL season and went on to become a six-time Pro-Bowler over 19 seasons. He earned a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1970, finishing the season 8-of-11 on kicks from more than 40 yards out in a much different era for kicker accuracy.
After 13 seasons with the Chiefs, Stenerud finished his career with four seasons in Green Bay and two in Minnesota, even reaching another Super Bowl with the Packers .
Stenerud was enshrined in Canton in 1991 and stood for 26 years as the only true kicker in the Hall of Fame.
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Morten Andersen
Andersen became the second kicker elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, after a long, 25-year career split between five teams.
While Andersen spent time with the Giants , Chiefs and Vikings late in his career, he made his name with the Saints and Falcons . Andersen was a six-time Pro-Bowler across 13 seasons in New Orleans, earning a pair of All-Pro First Team selections and leading the NFL in accuracy in 1986.
Andersen earned another All-Pro selection with the Falcons in 1995 and remained with Atlanta through the 2000 season before circling back to the franchise for a second stint in 2006 and 2007. Andersen retired as the NFL's all-time leader in field goals and remained the record-holder until Vinatieri surpassed him in 2018.
Adam Vinatieri
Canton's third and newest kicker is Vinatieri, who became one of the NFL's steadiest kicker across a 24-year career spent with the Patriots and Colts .
Vinatieri broke into the NFL in 1996 and likely had little idea he would become a crucial part of a dynasty in New England, where he won three Super Bowls in the early 2000s. Two of those Super Bowls were won on kicks by Vinatieri, including a game-winning field goal as time expired in the first Super Bowl win of Tom Brady's career.
Vinatieri signed with the Colts in free agency ahead of the 2006 season and kept up his winning ways, earning a fourth Super Bowl win in year one with the team. Vinatieri remained a Colt all the way through his age-46 season in 2019, serving as Indianapolis' kicker for the rest of the Peyton Manning era and even outlasting Andrew Luck's NFL career.
Today, Vinatieri stands as the NFL's all-time leader in field goals made with 599, and he has a career field goal percentage of 83.8 percent.
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