David Roy Akers ( AY-kərz; born December 9, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Redskins. The following year, Akers signed with the Eagles, where he spent 12 seasons. Akers also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions before retiring in 2013.
During his career, Akers received six Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. He also tied the then-NFL record for the longest successful field goal when he converted a 63-yard field goal, which at the time was tied for longest in league history. His 44 field goals in 2011 is tied for the single-season record. Akers is an inductee of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and a member of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, along with being named to the second-team of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.
Akers attended Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
Akers attended college at the University of Louisville and played for the Louisville Cardinals football team. During his four-year college career, Akers kicked a school-record 36 field goals (with a long of 51 yards against Texas A&M University), and ranks second on Louisville's all-time scoring list, with 219 points.
Akers signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent on April 21, 1997. He was waived on August 17.
Akers signed to the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad on August 26, 1997. He remained on the practice squad for the entire 1997 NFL season. He re-signed with the Falcons on April 28, 1998. He was waived on July 7, 1998, and re-signed shortly thereafter. He was waived again on August 24.
Akers was signed by the Washington Redskins to their practice squad on September 1, 1998, and he was promoted to the active roster on September 15, 1998. He played in one game for them, making two extra points but missing two field goal attempts of 48+ yards each. He was waived on September 22, 1998, following the game.
After his release, Akers had tryouts with the Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and on December 23, 1998, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Akers on January 11, 1999, and allocated him to NFL Europe with the Berlin Thunder.
In 2000, he made 29 out of 33 field goals (an 87.9% success rate), and had a team-record 121 points. Akers earned the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month award in November 2000. In 2001, Akers made the Pro Bowl for the first time, as he went 26-for-31, making a team-record 17 consecutive field goals during the season. He was also selected as an All-Pro, in a season that saw Philadelphia advance to the first of four consecutive NFC Championship games.
Akers' best statistical season was 2002 when he connected on 30 of 34 field goals (88.2%), scored a team-record 133 points, and made another Pro Bowl. He got fewer chances in 2003, but still made 24 of 29 field goals. He made the third-longest field goal in Eagles' history on September 14, 2003, a 57-yarder against the New England Patriots at the new Lincoln Financial Field. (The only longer field goals in Eagles' history have been Jake Elliott's 61-yard field goal in 2017 and Tony Franklin's 59-yard field goal in 1979).
In 2004, Akers continued his consistent kicking with an 84.4% field goal percentage, and he made his third Pro Bowl. He helped the Eagles to the Super Bowl that season, where they would be defeated by the New England Patriots.
Akers tore the hamstring in his non-kicking leg during the opening kickoff against the Oakland Raiders on September 25, 2005. Akers left the game, but returned in the second half with a heavily taped leg to make two extra points and then kick the game-winning 28-yard field goal before collapsing in pain as his teammates mobbed him. He missed the next four games and finished the season 16 for 22.
In 2006, Akers made 18 of 23 attempts (78.3%), his second-worst season statistically.
On December 16, 2007, in a 10–6 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Akers set the Eagles franchise record for most points and on Thanksgiving in 2008, Akers passed 1,000 career points during a 48–20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
On December 7, 2008, Akers kicked a 51-yard field goal at Giants Stadium, his longest of the season. In the same game he had two field goals blocked, one of which was returned for a touchdown. At the end of the 2008 regular season, Akers again set the team single-season scoring record with an NFC-best 144 points. He connected on 33 of 40 field goals (82.5 pct), his best percentage since 2004.
On January 11, 2009, Akers kicked three field goals in three attempts during a divisional playoff victory over the New York Giants. The second of these set an NFL record for consecutive field goals without a miss during the postseason, previously held by one-time Eagle Gary Anderson. Akers eventually ran his streak to a record 19 consecutive postseason field goal conversions; it was snapped the very next week against the Arizona Cardinals. Akers had a total of thirty-five postseason field goal conversions during his career.
Akers was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl, his fourth. He was also named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s. After the 2010 season, Akers was selected to his fifth career Pro Bowl, and named Eagles Special Teams MVP.