Rich Camarillo
Encyclopedia
Richard Jon Camarillo is a former professional American Football
punter
who played 16 seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots
(1981-1987), Los Angeles Rams (1988), Phoenix Cardinals (1989-1993), Houston Oilers (1994-1995), and Oakland Raiders
(1996). Before his NFL career, he earned All-America honors at Cerritos Junior College. He then transferred to the University of Washington
,(79-80). Where he was selected as a member of the Huskies All-Century team. A consistently solid, dependable punter during his 16 NFL seasons, Camarillo led the league in punting yards twice (1985, 1994), net yard average three times,(1983, 1991 & 1992), gross yards per punt once (1989). He also led the league in 1994 with 35 balls inside the 20. With the Patriots, Camarillo made a championship appearance in Super Bowl XX
, and ended up getting to punt quite often as his team was blown out 46-10 by the Chicago Bears
. Camarillo punted 6 times for 263 yards (43.8 avg), with 225 net yards (37.5 avg), 1 touchback, and 1 punt in the 20, including a then Super Bowl record 62-yard punt that planted the Bears back at their own 4-yard line. However, Chicago still managed to drive a Super Bowl record 96 yards and score a touchdown anyway.
Camarillo finished his career with 1,027 punts for 43,895 yards (42.7 avg) and 279 punts inside the 20. Upon his retirement, that mark stood as the most in NFL history. Camarillo also had a career net average of 36.0 yards per punt. He was named to the NFL's all rookie team in 1981. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl
after the 1983, 1989, 1991, 1992 & 1993 seasons. His 5 pro bowl appearances as a punter, are second only to Ray Guy who holds the record with 7. Camarillo had a punt returned for a touchdown in his first NFL game October 25, 1981. Fourteen seasons and 876 punts later on October 30, 1994, would be the next time one of his punts was returned for a score. He also owns the NFL's record for highest net avg. in a season with a mark of 39.6 yards. Camarillo's 44.5 yards per punt still stands as the highest punting average in NFL playoff history. He was also selected seven times (first or second team) All-Pro, in his career. He was also named to the team of the 90's by CNNSI. Camarillo, is a nominee for induction into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2009.
Camarillo coached the Ahwatukee Little League All-stars from Phoenix, Arizona
in the 2006 Little League World Series
in Williamsport, PA
. His son Eric was a member of that team.
On 14 September 2009, he was selected to the 50 Greatest New England Patriots Team.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
who played 16 seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(1981-1987), Los Angeles Rams (1988), Phoenix Cardinals (1989-1993), Houston Oilers (1994-1995), and Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1996). Before his NFL career, he earned All-America honors at Cerritos Junior College. He then transferred to the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
,(79-80). Where he was selected as a member of the Huskies All-Century team. A consistently solid, dependable punter during his 16 NFL seasons, Camarillo led the league in punting yards twice (1985, 1994), net yard average three times,(1983, 1991 & 1992), gross yards per punt once (1989). He also led the league in 1994 with 35 balls inside the 20. With the Patriots, Camarillo made a championship appearance in Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
, and ended up getting to punt quite often as his team was blown out 46-10 by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Camarillo punted 6 times for 263 yards (43.8 avg), with 225 net yards (37.5 avg), 1 touchback, and 1 punt in the 20, including a then Super Bowl record 62-yard punt that planted the Bears back at their own 4-yard line. However, Chicago still managed to drive a Super Bowl record 96 yards and score a touchdown anyway.
Camarillo finished his career with 1,027 punts for 43,895 yards (42.7 avg) and 279 punts inside the 20. Upon his retirement, that mark stood as the most in NFL history. Camarillo also had a career net average of 36.0 yards per punt. He was named to the NFL's all rookie team in 1981. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
after the 1983, 1989, 1991, 1992 & 1993 seasons. His 5 pro bowl appearances as a punter, are second only to Ray Guy who holds the record with 7. Camarillo had a punt returned for a touchdown in his first NFL game October 25, 1981. Fourteen seasons and 876 punts later on October 30, 1994, would be the next time one of his punts was returned for a score. He also owns the NFL's record for highest net avg. in a season with a mark of 39.6 yards. Camarillo's 44.5 yards per punt still stands as the highest punting average in NFL playoff history. He was also selected seven times (first or second team) All-Pro, in his career. He was also named to the team of the 90's by CNNSI. Camarillo, is a nominee for induction into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2009.
Camarillo coached the Ahwatukee Little League All-stars from Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in the 2006 Little League World Series
2006 Little League World Series
-Pool play:The top two teams in each pool moved on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 27 to play for the Little League World Championship. Teams marked in green qualified to the knockout stage, while teams marked in red were eliminated. Ties are broken based on...
in Williamsport, PA
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
. His son Eric was a member of that team.
On 14 September 2009, he was selected to the 50 Greatest New England Patriots Team.