I have been working with a few snappers that will be entering the 2017 NFL Draft this offseason. And when talking to them about some of the former longsnappers I looked up to, I was shocked that they had no idea who they were.
This got me thinking that these guys need to be recognized.
I was drafted into the NFL in 1998 and that was right when the long snapping transition was starting. (Thank god)
At the time, more teams were starting to carry pure longsnappers. At that point, teams still had guys who were tight ends, linebackers or backup O linemen handling snapping duties.
These guys listed below helped make the longsnapping position become what it is today.
Mike Bartrum 93-06 TE 171 Games Played
David Binn 94-10 LS 256 Games Played
Blair Bush 78-94 C 246 Games Played
Rob Davis 96-07 LS 183 Games Played
Steve DeOssie 84-95 LB 175 Games Played
Kendall Gammon 92-06 OL/TE 234 Games Played
Dale Hellastrae 85-01 OL 205 Games Played
Trey Junkin 83-02 TE 281 Games Played
Brian Kinchen 88-03 TE 193 Games Played
Randy Kirk 87-99 LB 157 Games Played
Harper Lebel 89-89 TE 136 Games Played
Dave Moore 92-06 TE 220 Games Played
Mike Morris 87-99 C 188 Games Played
Ed Perry 97-05 TE 109 Games Played
Mark Rodenhouser 87-99 OL 168 Games Played
Adam Schreiber 84-99 OL 202 Games Played
Dan Turk 85-99 OL 218 Games Played
Hey, young bucks google these guys and learn their history.
*in the background of the featured image is THE Trey Junkin
2 Comments on “The Original Longsnappers”
Love this! Longsnappers need more recognition!
Being from DALLAS, when my son, @gresh49 Clint Gresham went to play for the Seahawks, everyone told me about Dale Hellastrae!! I had never heard of him until then. Now I totally understand the unique skill and consistency it takes! Very Impressive skill set