Training camp has officially begun, which means it’s time to talk about kickers. If you thought we were going to talk about active kickers who are actually still kicking footballs in the NFL, you’d be wrong. That would be boring. Instead, we’re going to rank the 5 best kickers in Titans/Oilers history, because that’s what people want. There’s no better way to remember people on the internet than by ranking kickers. So let’s get started.
Zendejas was technically the Oilers’ kicker, so how you look at that number is up to you, but from 1985-1990 he made 77% of his field goal attempts, including 3-of-4 attempts from 50+ yards. He continued to kick later on, leading the league in field goal percentage (100%!) in 1999 at age 31. Football Reference estimates him as the fourth most valuable kicker in Titans/Oilers history.
Succop played for three different teams (Titans, Chiefs, Buccaneers) in his career, but his longest tenure (six years) was with Tennessee. During those six years, he made 83% of his field goals and nearly 95% of his extra-point attempts. Also of note, he had the highest touchback rate of any kicker who played at least 50 games with the Titans. He is currently tied with Zendejas for the third-most field-goal attempts in franchise history (117). And, fun fact: Succop never missed an extra-point attempt in the first six years of his career.
Fritch began his career with the Cowboys but finally came into his own when he joined the Oilers in 1977. During his five seasons with Houston, Fritch led the league in field goal percentage in 1977 (75%), 1974 (89%) and 1980 (79.2%). Among kickers who have played in 50 games with the organization, Fritch is fourth all-time in FG% and XP%.
No player in the history of the Oilers/Titans organization has made more field goals of 50 yards or more than Bironas (24). He has made at least nine more field goals of 50 yards or more than any other player. No kicker who has played 50 or more games for Houston/Nashville has posted a better field goal percentage than Bironas (85.7). If you were to make a list of the greatest kickers of all time who did not play for the Titans, Bironas would undoubtedly be at the top.
No kicker has ever been more valuable to a team than Del Greco, at least according to Football Reference. He attempted and made the most kicks in team history, tied with Bironas for the best XP% in team history (99.4%) and was ranked 21st on the NFL’s all-time scorer list at one point. He also holds the team record for most points (1,060) and would likely be remembered more fondly if not for a few epic blunders. Still, his place in Titans/Oilers history remains secure.
