In American and Canadian football, a kick returner (KR) is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the air and determine if it would be beneficial to his team for a return. If he decides that it is not, he can make a touchback by kneeling down in the end zone after catching the ball, which gives his team the ball at their own 20-yard line to start the drive.
He is usually one of the faster players on the team, often a backup wide receiver, defensive back, or running back.
A kick returner might also double as a punt returner as well.
Sometimes players who make big plays at the punt or kick returner positions become well known "return specialist" players. (e.g. Dan Trueman]).
The following table ranks all National Football League kick returners with at least 4 touchdown returns through the 2008 season by touchdown return percentage:
| Name | TD | Returns | Yards | Average | TD % | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Hester | 7 | 91 | 2,781 | 30.56 | 6.59% | 2006 | |
| Gale Sayers | 6 | 94 | 2,141 | 22.8 | 6.38% | 1972 | |
| Travis Williams | 6 | 102 | 2,801 | 27.46 | 5.88% | 1967 | 1971 |
| Bobby Mitchell | 5 | 102 | 2,690 | 26.37 | 4.90% | 1958 | 1968 |
| Ollie Matson | 6 | 143 | 3,746 | 26.20 | 4.20% | 1952 | 1964 |
| Leon Washington | 7 | 174 | 4,447 | 25.56 | 4.02% | 2006 | present |
| Jon Vaughn | 4 | 103 | 2,390 | 23.20 | 3.88% | 1991 | 1994 |
| Darrick Vaughn | 4 | 103 | 2,620 | 25.44 | 3.88% | 2000 | 2003 |
| Cecil Turner | 4 | 108 | 2,616 | 24.22 | 3.70% | 1968 | 1973 |
| Justin Miller | 5 | 141 | 3,745 | 26.62 | 3.55% | 2005 | present |
| Tony Horne | 4 | 143 | 3,577 | 25.01 | 2.80% | 1998 | 2000 |
| Timmy Brown | 5 | 186 | 4,781 | 25.70 | 2.69% | 1959 | 1968 |
| Abe Woodson | 5 | 193 | 5,538 | 28.69 | 2.59% | 1958 | 1966 |
| Josh Cribbs | 8 | 209 | 5,507 | 26.35 | 2.26% | 2005 | present |
| Andre Coleman | 4 | 193 | 4,446 | 23.04 | 2.07% | 1994 | 1998 |
| Ron Brown | 4 | 199 | 4,493 | 22.58 | 2.01% | 1984 | 1990 |
| Terrence McGee | 5 | 207 | 5,450 | 26.32 | 2.41% | 2003 | present |
| Tamarick Vanover | 4 | 226 | 5,422 | 23.99 | 1.77% | 1995 | 1999 |
| Mel Gray | 6 | 421 | 10,250 | 24.35 | 1.43% | 1986 | 1997 |
| Dante Hall | 6 | 426 | 10,136 | 23.79 | 1.41% | 2000 | 2008 |
| Michael Bates | 5 | 373 | 9,110 | 24.42 | 1.34% | 1993 | 2003 |
| Allen Rossum | 5 | 506 | 11,779 | 23.28 | 0.99% | 1998 | present |
| Brian Mitchell | 4 | 607 | 14,014 | 23.09 | 0.66% | 1990 | 2003 |
Sources:
| Positions in American football and Canadian football | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Defense | Special teams | |||||
| Linemen | Guard, Tackle, Center | Linemen | Tackle, End, Nose tackle | Kicking players | Placekicker, Punter, Kickoff specialist | ||
| Quarterback | Linebackers | Snapping | Long snapper, Holder | ||||
| Backs | Halfback (Tailback), Fullback, H-back | Backs | Cornerback, Safety | Returning | Punt returner, Kick returner | ||
| Receivers | Wide receiver, Tight end, Slotback | Nickelback, Dimeback | Tackling | Gunner | |||
| Formations – Nomenclature | |||||||