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Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise.

Buffalo Bills

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The best Buffalo Bills kickers ever have all had a part in some of the biggest moments in franchise history. NFL games can be won and lost by one or two points, making every made or missed kick of the greatest importance and every starting kicker a potential hero.

While recent stars like Rian Lindell and Dan Carpenter have made their mark in the Bills&#39; past, early standouts like Steve <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/john-christie-facts/jen-jeffers?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Christie and John</a> Leypoldt helped craft their own legacies in the old days of&nbsp;the franchise.

So which of these kickers from Buffalo Bills history deserves to rank near the top of the list? Who are the best Bills kickers of all-time? Vote below, and check back to see what other football fans thought.

Every Kicker In Buffalo Bills History, Ranked By Football Fans

The Best Buffalo Bills Kickers Of All Time

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Tyler Bass

Tyler Bass (born February 14, 1997) is an American football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Rian Lindell

Rian David Lindell (born January 20, 1977) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Washington State

Steve Christie

Geoffrey Stephen "Steve" Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League, who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in poor weather.

Steven Hauschka

Stephen Theodore Hauschka (name commonly spelled as Steven Hauschka; born June 29, 1985) is an American football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.
Hauschka has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Locomotives, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks. He won Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seahawks, and is the seventh most-accurate kicker in NFL history.

Scott Norwood

Scott Allan Norwood (born July 17, 1960) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons and spent the entirety of his career with the Buffalo Bills. He also played for the Birmingham Stallions in the United States Football League (USFL). An integral part of Buffalo's offense during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Norwood kicked in the team's first two Super Bowl appearances. Despite his accomplishments, he is best known for missing a game-winning field goal attempt at the end of Super Bowl XXV.

Pete Gogolak

Peter Kornel Gogolak (English: ; Hungarian: Gogolák Péter Kornél; born April 18, 1942) is a former American football placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills and in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants.Gogolak is widely considered the chief figure behind the game's adoption of soccer style placekicking. In 1966, after playing two seasons for the AFL's Bills, he joined the NFL's Giants in May after playing out his option, sparking the "war between the leagues" and effectively expediting the subsequent AFL–NFL merger agreement in June. He is distinguished as being the first Hungarian to play in the National Football League.
In 2010, the New York Giants announced that Gogolak would be included in the team's new Ring of Honor to be displayed at all home games in their new stadium.

Tom Dempsey

Thomas John Dempsey (born January 12, 1947) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1969–1970), Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1974), Los Angeles Rams (1975–1976), Houston Oilers (1977) and Buffalo Bills (1978–1979). He attended high school at San Dieguito High School and played college football at Palomar College.  Unlike the "soccer style" approach which was becoming more and more widely used during his career, Dempsey's kicking style was the standard (of the day) straight-toe style.



Shayne Graham

Michael Shayne Graham (born December 9, 1977) is a former American football kicker and current coach. Graham is a former American football placekicker who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He made his professional debut in May 2000 with the Richmond Speed of the Arena Football League's now-defunct developmental league, AF2.His first NFL contract was with the New Orleans Saints where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000. A journeyman most of his career, he played for 14 different NFL franchises over 9 seasons, excluding the 7 seasons he spent with the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Bengals, he made the Pro Bowl in 2005. In the latter part of his career, he was signed as an injury replacement or to provide competition during training camps for a number of teams.
In 2018, Graham was hired as a special teams intern at Michigan State University.

Dan Carpenter

Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing college football for the University of Montana. He has also played for the Buffalo Bills.

John Leypoldt

John Howard Leypoldt (March 31, 1946 – February 7, 1987) was an American football placekicker who played eight seasons in the National Football League. Leypoldt died of a heart attack at St. Joseph Intercommunity Hospital in Cheektowaga, New York.

Nick Mike-Mayer

Nicholas "Nick" Mike-Mayer (MICK-uh-myur) (born March 1, 1950) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League from 1973–1982 for the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Buffalo Bills. He made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year. He later played with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the United States Football League.  His brother Steve Mike-Mayer also played in the NFL.  Mike-Mayer would later go on to play in the Arena Football League for the Chicago Bruisers and Los Angeles Cobras, earning All-Arena honors in 1987.
Mike-Mayer's father had played soccer in Hungary and left with his family to escape Communism, ending up in Italy, where Mike-Mayer was born. The family emigrated to the United States and settled in Passaic, New Jersey, where he played football at Passaic High School.

Mike Hollis

Michael Shane Hollis (born May 22, 1972) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League. He spent most of his nine-year professional career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, kicking for the team from 1995–2001 and setting several team records. He then played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before retiring after an injury in 2003.

Todd Schlopy

Ross Todd Schlopy is a motion picture cameraman and former American football placekicker.
A native of Bradford, Pennsylvania, Schlopy attended Orchard Park High School in Orchard Park, New York. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1981 to 1984. He played for the Buffalo Bills as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL Players Strike. He won a game for the Bills over the New York Giants on October 18, 1987 with a field goal.
After retiring from football, Schlopy became a cameraman on feature films. His credits include Red Dawn, Jonah Hex, High School, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Wanted, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Transformers, Herbie Fully Loaded, Seabiscuit, Shallow Hal, Starship Troopers, Air Force One, and Ski Patrol.

Grant Guthrie

Benny Ricardo

Benito Concepcion "Benny" Ricardo (born January 4, 1954 in Asunción, Paraguay) is a former American football placekicker in the NFL (1976-1984) for the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and the San Diego Chargers.  He played college football at San Diego State University. He is distinguished as being the first Paraguayan to play in the National Football League. As a Minnesota Viking, Ricardo led the NFC in scoring in 1983 with 108 points.

Carson Long

Bruce Alford

Bruce Alford may refer to:

Bruce Alford Jr. (born 1945), American football kicker
Bruce Alford Sr. (1922–2010), American football end

Joe Danelo

Joseph Peter Danelo (born September 2, 1953) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League for ten seasons  with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Buffalo Bills.
Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Danelo graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1971. He played college football at Washington State University in Pullman under head coach Jim Sweeney, and was selected in the tenth round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Booth Lusteg

Gerald Booth Lusteg (May 8, 1939 – July 12, 2012) was a placekicker in the American Football League and the National Football League who played for the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.  Lusteg played collegiate baseball for the University of Connecticut and played football professionally for 4 seasons.  He retired in 1969.  He came out of retirement in 1974 and played one season for the Portland Storm. In 1976 he was signed to the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but was released after the first preseason game.
Lusteg, who at the time was an unsuccessful actor, first played football for the New Bedford Sweepers of the Atlantic Coast Football League. After the Bills lost kicker Pete Gogolak, Lusteg was one of nearly 100 people who applied to replace him. Lusteg was one of the only players with kicking experience out of the group: his top two competitors were a German bricklayer and a one-armed cyclops.  At the time of the tryout, Gerald Lusteg took on the identity of his younger brother Wallace, who had graduated from Boston College, to shave four years off his perceived age.  Using the nickname "Booth", Lusteg was able to pass as four years under his actual age for years, including adopting Boston College as his alma mater (he had not kicked or even played football in college, so he never ran into a challenge to his career).
Lusteg also played some minor league baseball as a 1B-OF with two teams in the West Carolina League in 1961 and 1962, first with the Newton-Conover Twins before being traded to the Statesville Owls. In his final season, Booth hit .230 in 22 games.
Lusteg died on July 12, 2012 after suffering from lung cancer for three years.

Mike Mercer

Michael Mercer (born November 21, 1935) is a former American football kicker and punter who played for six teams from (1961–1970). In the American Football League, he played for the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills.  He was a member of the Chiefs' 1966 AFL Championship team that played in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
Mercer's 9 yard field goal attempt was blocked by Larry "Wildman" Eisenhauer and recovered by Don Webb, with about 3 minutes left, in the Oakland Raiders 43-43 tie with the Boston Patriots on October 16, 1964. On December 22, 1963 Mercer kicked a 4th quarter 39 yard field goal to break a 49-49 tie with the Oilers and give the Raiders a 52-49 win. In that same game Mercer was 7 for 7 on extra points. Mercer led the Raiders in scoring in 1964 with 79 points, hitting 15 field goals and all 34 extra point attempts.

George Jakowenko

Neil O'Donoghue

Dave Rayner

David Michael "Dave" Rayner (born October 26, 1982) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State. Rayner shares the NFL record for most teams played on with J. T. O'Sullivan, and Billy Cundiff; each has played for 11 teams.
Rayner was also a member of the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and Buffalo Bills.



Brandon Coutu

Brandon Coutu (born September 29, 1984) is a former American-football placekicker. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
He was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Las Vegas Locomotives.

Efren Herrera

Efren Herrera (born July 30, 1951) is a former Mexican-American placekicker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. He also was a member of the Oklahoma Outlaws in the United States Football League. He played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles.



The best Buffalo Bills kickers ever have all had a part in some of the biggest moments in franchise history. NFL games can be won and lost by one or two ...