List of the most famous (American) football punt returners in the history of the sport, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. There have been many legendary punt returners in the NFL and NCAA, and you'll find all of them on this list below. Some of these men are considered to be the best punt returners to ever play the game, and if you're looking for a specific football player you can look for them by using the "search" function on this list. These amazing punt returners may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. This list of the top punt returners in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football.
List items range from Deion Sanders to Desmond Howard.
This list answers the questions, "Who is the greatest punt returner of all time?" and "Who are the best punt returners of all time?"1
Deion Sanders
Cornerback, Punt returnerBirthplace: Fort Myers, Florida, United States of America
Age: 53
Teams: Florida State Seminoles baseball, Washington Redskins, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (; born August 9, 1967), nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is... more on Wikipedia2
Desmond Howard
Return specialist, Punt returnerBirthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Age: 50
Teams: Michigan Wolverines football, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers
Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is an American former professional football player in... more on Wikipedia3
Billy Johnson
Return specialist, Punt returnerBirthplace: Boothwyn, Pennsylvania
Age: 68
Teams: Houston Oilers, Washington Redskins, Montreal Alouettes, Atlanta Falcons
William Arthur Johnson (born January 27, 1952), better known as Billy "White Shoes" Johnson,... more on Wikipedia4
Mel Gray
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Williamsburg, Virginia
Age: 59
This page refers to the Detroit Lions kick returner. For the St. Louis Cardinals wide... more on Wikipedia5
Troy Brown
Cornerback, Return specialistBirthplace: Barnwell, South Carolina
Age: 49
Teams: New England Patriots, Marshall Thundering Herd football
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is a former American football wide receiver in the... more on Wikipedia6
Charley Trippi
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Pittston, Pennsylvania
Age: 98
Charles Louis Trippi (born December 14, 1921) is a former American football player. He played... more on Wikipedia7
Brian Mitchell
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Fort Polk, Louisiana, United States of America
Age: 52
Teams: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants
Brian Keith Mitchell (born August 18, 1968) is a former American football running back and... more on Wikipedia8
Darius Reynaud
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Luling, Louisiana
Age: 35
Teams: New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings
Darius Reynaud (born December 29, 1984) is a former American football running back and return... more on Wikipedia9
Eddie Royal
Return specialist, FlankerBirthplace: Virginia
Age: 34
Teams: Denver Broncos, Virginia Tech Hokies football, San Diego Chargers
William Edward "Eddie" Royal (born May 21, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver... more on Wikipedia10
Steve Breaston
Wide receiverBirthplace: North Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Age: 37
Teams: Michigan Wolverines football, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs
Steven William Breaston (born August 20, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver.... more on Wikipedia11
Brian Westbrook
Running back, Punt returnerBirthplace: Fort Washington, Maryland, United States of America
Age: 41
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Villanova Wildcats football
Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is a former American football running back... more on Wikipedia12
Justin Forsett
Running back, Punt returnerBirthplace: Lakeland, Florida
Age: 34
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is a former American football running back. He played... more on Wikipedia13
Cory Ross
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Denver, Colorado
Age: 38
Cory Ross (born September 22, 1982) is a former American football, Canadian football and... more on Wikipedia14
Mercury Hayes
Return specialist, Punt returnerBirthplace: Houston, Texas
Age: 47
Mercury Wayne Hayes (born January 1, 1973) is a former professional American football and... more on Wikipedia15
Bruce Harper
Running back, Punt returnerBirthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
Age: 65
Bruce Harper (born June 20, 1955) is a retired American football running back and kick... more on Wikipedia16
Clarence Verdin
Return specialist, Punt returnerBirthplace: Houma, Louisiana
Age: 57
Clarence Verdin (born June 14, 1963) is a former American football wide receiver and kick... more on Wikipedia17
Chris Carr
Cornerback, Kickoff returnerBirthplace: Reno, Nevada
Age: 37
Teams: New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers
Charles Christopher "Chris" Carr (born April 30, 1983) is a former American football... more on Wikipedia18
Marquise Walker
Punt returner, Wide receiverBirthplace: Syracuse, New York
Age: 41
Marquise Walker (born December 11, 1978) is a former professional American football wide... more on Wikipedia19
B. J. Sams
Running back, CornerbackBirthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
Age: 39
Bradley Jamar "B. J." Sams (born October 29, 1980 is a former American football player who was... more on Wikipedia
20Mike Nelms
Return specialist, Punt returnerBirthplace: Fort Worth, Texas
Age: 65
Michael Craig Nelms (born April 8, 1955) is a former American football defensive back and kick... more on Wikipedia21
Chuck Ortmann
Halfback, Punt returnerBirthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Age: 91
Charles H. Ortmann (June 1, 1929 – March 7, 2018) was an American football player who played... more on Wikipedia22
Jon Arnett
Running back, Return specialistBirthplace: Los Angeles, California
Age: 85
Jon Dwane "Jaguar Jon" Arnett (born April 20, 1935) is a former American football player. He... more on Wikipedia23
Thom Darden
Cornerback, Punt returnerBirthplace: Sandusky, Ohio
Age: 70
Thomas Vincent Darden (born August 28, 1950) is a former American football safety and punt... more on Wikipedia24
Bob Grim
Running back, Punt returnerBirthplace: Oakland, California
Age: 75
Robert Lee Grim (born May 8, 1945) is a former American football player in the National... more on Wikipedia- 25
Rollie Miles
Running back, Punt returnerBirthplace: Washington, D.C.
Age: Dec. at 68 (1927-1995)
Elmer Roland "Rollie" Miles (February 16, 1927 - August 17, 1995) was a professional football... more on Wikipedia
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