Herman Weaver

William Herman Weaver (born November 17, 1948), nicknamed "Thunderfoot", is an American former professional football player who was a punter for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 to 1980. He spent his first seven years punting for the Detroit Lions and the last four years with the Seattle Seahawks. During his career, Weaver punted 693 times for 27,897 total yards. In 1975, Weaver was named the NFC Punter of the Year and in 1988 The Sporting News called him “One of the Top 20 Punters of all Time”. Weaver shares the all-time NFL record for having the most punts blocked in a career with 14.

Weaver was born on November 17, 1948, in Villa Rica, Georgia.¹ He was one of four brothers.² He attended Villa Rica High School, and was an All-State wide receiver on its football team. He also played quarterback and was the team's punter. He had learned how to punt from his older brothers Glenn and Doug Weaver. During his senior year (1965), he was not among the top punters in his region. At the time, Weaver was not as successful kicking the "rubber" type ball used in high school play, as he would become kicking the leather ball used in college.³⁴⁵⁶⁷

After a spectacular receiving game for Villa Rica, he was offered a football scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee, where he attended and played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). After continuing as a receiver on the freshman team, Edwards became the team's punter as a sophomore in 1967.⁸ At Tennessee, head coach Doug Dickey made him the team's exclusive punter. Dickey did not play Edwards as a receiver because Dickey did not want Weaver to risk injury and be lost as a punter.⁶ While at Tennessee, Edwards had a longest punt of 71 yards. He also had a school record hang-time of 5.7 seconds.⁹¹⁰

In his junior season (1968), Weaver was fourth in the SEC in punting average at the end of the regular season.¹¹ He worked with coach George Cafego during the year to improve both his quickness in getting off his punts and in getting significant height on his punts. Weaver had the best punting average in the nation after four games.⁷¹² Weaver's punting in an October 12 game against Georgia Tech was considered one of the key factors in Tennessee's 24–7 victory. He had nine punts in the game, with a long of 59 yards and a 42.9 yard per punt average.¹³¹⁴ In the Vols loss to the Texas Longhorns in the January 1, 1969 Cotton Bowl, Weaver had punts of 67 and 52 yards.¹⁵

As a senior (1969), Weaver was second in punting in the SEC to Spike Jones of the University of Georgia (who went on to play seven years as a punter in the NFL).⁶¹⁶ In a 1968 game between Tennessee and Georgia that ended in a 17–17 tie, Weaver had punted 14 times at 44.8 yards per punt and Jones eight times at 44.9 yards per punt.¹⁷ In 1969, Weaver averaged 41.2 yards per punt on 53 punts.² The Vols lost the 1969 Gator Bowl, 14–13 to the Florida Gators. On Weaver's first punt of the game, because of inadequate protection, Florida's Steve Tannen (who later played five seasons in the NFL¹⁸) blocked the punt which Mike Kelley recovered and returned for a touchdown.¹⁹²⁰

The Detroit Lions selected Weaver in the ninth round of the 1970 NFL draft, 227th overall.²¹ An average punt hang time was considered 4.5 seconds, and in the first two exhibition games of the Lions' 1970 training camp, Weaver was consistently at 4.8 and 4.9, and reached 5.4 seconds; while also limiting opponents' return yardage.² He was the Lions' punter from 1970 to 1976.¹ After the 1976 season, the Lions traded Weaver to the Denver Broncos for a draft pick.²²²³ The Broncos released Weaver before the start of the 1977 season.²⁴ In late September 1977, the Seattle Seahawks signed Weaver.²⁵ Weaver was the Seahawks' punter from 1977 to 1980.¹ His career ended when the Seahawks waived Weaver in late-August 1981.²⁶

As a rookie, Edwards averaged 40 yards per punt on 62 punts.²⁷ He was 17th among all NFL punters in yards per punt that season.²⁸ He appeared in the only playoff game of his career, a 5–0 Lions' loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round of the 1970–71 playoffs. Weaver punted eight times in that game, with a long punt of 61 yards and a 48.9 yards per punt average. Only four of those punts were returned, for a total of 23 yards.²⁹

In 1971, Weaver improved to 41.7 yards per punt and was seventh best in the NFL.³⁰ During his 11-year career, Edwards was among the NFL's top 10 punters in average yards per punt four times. In 1975, Weaver was second in the NFL, and first in the National Football Conference (NFC), averaging 42 yards per punt. Only future Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy was ahead of Weaver that season.³¹³² In 1973, he was fifth in the NFL with a 43.2 yards per punt average.³³ and in 1980, his final year in the NFL, Weaver was eighth in the league with a 41.8 yards per punt average.³⁴

Over the course of his 11-year career, Weaver played in 158 games. He had 693 punts for 27,897 yards, averaging 40.3 yards per punt. He had 26 touchbacks and had 14 of his punts blocked.¹

In 1983, Weaver tried out for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League, but was released a few days before the season started.³⁵³⁶

Weaver was given the nickname "Thunderfoot" by sportscaster Howard Cosell, who, among other things, was part of the broadcast team calling Monday Night Football games. The Lions were practicing for a Monday Night Football game on the day of the game. Cosell was taking notes in preparation for the game. Weaver punted a ball in practice, and while the ball was in the air at its apex, a large clap of thunder sounded and shook the ground. Weaver recalls Lions' placekicker Errol Mann saying to Cosell "that it thundered every time my punts reached their apex”.³⁷³⁸³

In 1975, Weaver was selected National Football Conference Punter of the Year (1975). In 1988, The Sporting News named Weaver "One of the top 20 punters of all time".¹⁰³⁹⁴⁰ He and Harry Newsome hold the record for must punts blocked (14).⁴¹ He is 69th in NFL history in most punts, and 75th in total punting yards (through 2025).⁴²⁴³ When his career ended in 1980, he had the 10th most punts in NFL history, 11th most total punting yards, and was 29th all-time in yards per punt.⁴⁴⁴⁵⁴⁶

Weaver described his life during his playing career as one of drinking and hypocrisy, and said that he even contemplated suicide. His life changed when his young daughter fell 20 feet out of a tree and was motionless. Edwards took her to a hospital and was waiting in an emergency room, waiting to learn if she would live or die (only later learning she had no serious injuries). This led him to pray for her. After that experience he changed the way he led his life.⁹

After retiring, Weaver completed his degree from the University of Tennessee and became a high school teacher and coach for 10 years, before becoming a Christian minister and starting Thunderfoot Ministries. He traveled the United States with Thunderfoot Ministries, and by 2015 estimated he had spoken in 3,000 schools to millions of students on a variety of topics aimed at benefitting the students lives (such as avoiding drugs and alcohol).³¹⁰ In the 1990s, Weaver was one of nine Christian athletes sponsored by Sports World Inc. to give motivational speeches throughout the United States.⁴⁷ Weaver spoke in public schools and religious schools, as well as other settings, which could have been considered unusual, but Edwards has emphasized that although he spoke of his faith he did not try to force his religious beliefs upon others.⁹ However, there were instances of talks in public schools that were controversial in light of the religious content.³⁹⁴⁸

His son William Weaver attended Georgia Tech, and played on its 1990 team that was 11–0–1 and ranked No. 2 nationally by the Associated Press, among other polls; and No. 1 nationally by United Press International.¹⁰⁴⁹⁵⁰

Regular season