Dale Hatcher

Dale Hatcher
No. 3, 5, 7
Position: Punter
Personal information
Date of birth: April 5, 1963
Place of birth: Cheraw, South Carolina
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College: Clemson
NFL draft: 1985 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 490
Punting yards: 19,606
Punt average: 40.0

Dale Hatcher (born April 5, 1963 in Cheraw, South Carolina) is a former American football punter for the Los Angeles Rams and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.

He set a Clemson record for net punting in the contest with a 46.7 against Kentucky in 1981.[1]

In 1985, he was named Pro Bowl and AP All Pro First Team.

He is best remembered as the punter in the first overtime regular-season NFL game to be decided by a safety. On November 5, 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hatcher helped end the game as he tried to punt, only to have it blocked by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Mike Merriweather to give the Vikings a 23-21 win over the Rams. (Teammate Jim Everett threw for the only three touchdowns of the game for the Rams as the Vikings' only other points were Rich Karlis' record-tying seven field goals.)

After his football career ended, Hatcher took a job working at Freightliner Custom Chassis in Gaffney, SC where he is still employed to this day.

References

  1. "Zimmerman Named National Punter of the Week". clemsontigers.cstv.com. September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
Preceded by
Ron Brown
Rams Rookie of the Year Award
1985
Succeeded by
Jim Everett