And with that, Devin Hester is officially the G.O.A.T. The veteran special teams speedster notched his 20th return tonight, now owning the NFL record which he snatched way from legend Deion Sanders—the former Hurricane one-upping the one-time Seminole.
All-Time finally took down Prime Time.
Hester—formerly with the Chicago Bears and currently with the Atlanta Falcons—returned a punt 62 yards late in the second quarter in a beat down of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Georgia Dome this eve.
En route to the end zone, No. 17 high-stepped his way down the sidelines—much like like he did on the same field a decade back in the 2004 Peach Bowl when returning a blocked field goal attempt for the Miami Hurricanes against the Florida Gators.
“It’s a lot of pressure; every game, getting ready to get dressed and play and hear your family and friends and your Instagram and stuff with guys telling you that you will break the record this weekend,” Hester said. “That is a lot of pressure.”
The NFL veteran took to Facebook on Friday to thank all the friends, family, teammates, mentors, coaches and others who have been along for the wild ride.
“I didn’t get here alone,” Hester wrote. “I can’t even start to name everyone I have to thank. Just know that I remember and am very thankful to every single one of you. I’m humbled by all of the support and well wishes…..more importantly we have 13 games left to get to where we want to be as a team!! Thank You and God Bless.”
While Atlanta claimed victory and Chicago sported Hester in his prime, Miami will always consider the Rivera Beach product their own. A member of the Hurricanes’ 2003 recruiting class, Hester made himself a household name two games into his freshman season, with a 97-yard kickoff return on the opening play against the Florida Gators.
As a sophomore, Hester went new levels, immediately named to the Walter Camp All-America team as the nation’s best kick returner. Ended the season with three punt returns and one kickoff return—a 105-yarder to open the game at North Carolina State. One week prior, Hester had a game-defining punt return against Louisville, shaking the Orange Bowl to its core and proving to be a difference-maker in the eventual, 41-38 comeback win.
The 78-yard blocked field goal return against Florida in the bowl game was merely icing on the cake.
Hester played offense, defense and special teams at “The U” while also running track. He skipped his senior season at Miami, going pro in 2006 and was the 57th pick of the second round, nabbed by Chicago.
To date, Hester has been to three Pro Bowls (2006, 2007, 2010), a four-time All-Pro (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011), a three-time NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year (2006, 2007, 2010) and a fourteen-time NFC Player of the Week—which could earn another notch after this week’s performance.
A hearty congrats to one of our own, shining bright at the highest level. #UFAMILY