New England Patriots
Vinatieri is one in every of 5 gamers elected on this yr’s Corridor of Fame Class.
SAN FRANCISCO — Adam Vinatieri has formally kicked his manner right into a spot in Canton. In the course of the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday, the league introduced that Vinatieri has been elected to the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame.
Vinatieri is the NFL’s all-time scoring chief, with 2,673 factors and the record-holder for made field-goals (599). He’s a four-time Tremendous Bowl champion. Three of these rings got here throughout his decade-long stint with the Patriots.
He received the opposite throughout a later 14-year stint with the Colts. He performed 24 seasons in complete and nailed various memorable kicks alongside the way in which.
“You all the time knew that when he kicked, they had been going to go in,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel stated. “I feel that was simply type of what we all the time thought and knew if we obtained into these forms of conditions.”
His kick within the snow throughout the ultimate recreation at Foxboro stadium within the 2001 Divisional Spherical towards the Raiders is unparalleled, Vrabel stated.
“The kick within the snow, that’s most likely the best feat — one of many biggest feats I’ve ever seen on a soccer discipline,” Vrabel stated. “You may barely run, not to mention strategy and kick a soccer that size.”
Vinatieri additionally made a pair of game-winning Tremendous Bowl kicks in 2001 and 2003. He was a three-time first-team All-Professional choice. He made 83.8 p.c of his profession field-goal makes an attempt.
This was Vinatieri’s second yr eligible for enshrinement. He’s the third kicker within the Po Soccer Corridor of Fame, with Morten Andersen and Jan Stenerud previous him.
The opposite inductees had been Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and 49ers working again Roger Craig.
There have been no coaches or contributors elected this yr. Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick and group proprietor Robert Kraft had been each on the poll up towards Craig. Kraft and Belichick each fell in need of the 40 out of fifty vote threshold wanted for election.
Vinatieri performed till age 47, when he retired from the Colts in 2021. Now, at age 53, he has earned his spot within the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame.
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