The 5 best kick returners in the history of the Green Bay Packers

Nobody buys a ticket to watch special teams. Fans want to enjoy great quarterback play and dominant defenses get to work. A star kick returner changes all of that.

Everyone pays attention to kickoffs when the returner has the ability to take it to the house. The Green Bay Packers are known for elite quarterback play, but they've also enjoyed many of the league's greatest return specialists.

Ranking the top five isn't an easy task, and many outstanding returners didn't make the cut. Current Packers kick returner Keisean Nixon didn't make our top-five ranking despite earning first-team All-Pro honors in consecutive seasons, which proves the point. The league's new kickoff rules could change that. With another dominant season, Nixon could force his way into the top five.

Below is our attempt at ranking the greatest returners in Packers history.

Criteria for selection

Elite kick returners can change a game in a matter of seconds. Whether setting up great field position or even taking it to the house for a touchdown, their contribution can swing the momentum in their team's favor.

The best returners do it consistently.

But how do we measure that? Average return yards is one way to determine consistency. Which returners can set the team up in good field position almost every time they touch the ball? However, memorable moments also play a big part. We can all remember game-changing returns. There is no feeling like it as a fan, watching a routine play go the distance.

We must also consider individual awards and achievements. That can include All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections and leading the league in important return statistics.

The top 5 kick returners in Green Bay Packers history

5. Desmond Howard (1996, 1999)

Desmond Howard is responsible for one of the most magical and memorable plays in Packers history, a 99-yard kick-return touchdown in Super Bowl XXXI. In total, Howard put up 244 yards returning kicks and punts to earn the Super Bowl MVP award. Three weeks earlier, he opened the scoring in the divisional-round win over the San Francisco 49ers with a 71-yard punt-return touchdown.

He produced plenty of unforgettable moments in the regular season for the 1996 championship team, leading the NFL in punt return yards and touchdowns, with a franchise-record 875 yards to go with three scores.

Remarkably, it was Howard's only full season in Green Bay. He had previously spent time with the Washington Commanders and Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the Packers in 1996. He departed the following offseason to sign with the Oakland Raiders.

Howard returned to Green Bay in 1999 but featured in only eight games. Still, the 1996 season was so spectacular that he had to make this list.

4. Al Carmichael (1953-1958)

Al Carmichael was one of the most consistent kick returners in Packers history. Only Steve Odom has more kick returns and kick-return yards than Carmichael, who finished his six-year stay in Green Bay with 3,907 yards on 153 returns.

Carmichael's 106-yard kick-return touchdown in 1956 set an NFL record that wasn't beaten for another 51 years. The former first-round pick led the league in kick return yards in back-to-back seasons in 1956 and 1957, and he had return touchdowns of at least 100 yards in two straight years.

During his time in Green Bay, Carmichael put up 1,706 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns on offense, but he saved his best work for special teams. After leaving the Packers, Carmichael closed out his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, where he added another 891 kick-return yards to his legendary resume. In 1974, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

3. Herb Adderley (1961-1969)

Herb Adderley is not only the greatest Packers cornerback of all time, but also among the team's best returners. While shutting down wide receivers during his nine-year run in Green Bay, Vince Lombardi also asked him to return kicks, which he did brilliantly.

Between 1961 and 1968, Adderley returned 120 kickoffs for 3,080 yards and two touchdowns at an impressive average of 25.7 yards per return. Only two players have more career kick-return yards in Packers history. It's even more impressive when considering he was a full-time cornerback and one of the team's most important players.

Adderley made seven All-Pro and five Pro Bowl teams, mostly for his work as one of the league's greatest cornerbacks, but he also deserves credit for his near-decade run as a kick returner. He began his Packers career as a running back before moving to cornerback. He truly could do everything.

2. Dave Hampton (1969-1971)

The Packers didn't get the best out of Dave Hampton as a running back during his short three-year stay with the team, but he made a significant impact as a kick returner.

Hampton's average of 28.2 yards per kick return is the highest in franchise history (minimum 10 returns). He also ranks fourth for the Packers in total kick-return yards, which is particularly impressive because he returned significantly fewer kicks than the three players ahead of him. If Hampton had stayed in Green Bay for a few more seasons, he would undoubtedly lead the way.

Hampton had one kick-return touchdown in all three of his seasons with the Packers. In 1970, he posted an NFL-best 101-yard kick-return touchdown, and the following year, he led the league with 1,314 yards.

The Packers traded Hampton to the Atlanta Falcons in 1972, where he became a focal point of their run game, rushing for 3,458 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first four seasons with the team. He had been unable to find that form as a running back in Green Bay, but he goes down as one of the greatest returners to wear the green and gold.

1. Travis Williams (1967-1970)

Travis Williams' game-changing speed made him one of the best kick returners in NFL history.

Williams holds two NFL records. In 1967, he averaged an unbelievable 41.1 yards per return, the highest in league history. That same season, he returned four kicks for touchdowns, which is tied for an NFL single-season record with Cecil Turner. Williams returned just 18 kicks for 739 yards and four touchdowns. The best part? It was his rookie year.

In a 55-7 win over the Cleveland Browns, Williams helped the Packers take a dominant 35-7 lead in the first quarter by returning two kicks for touchdowns. He also rushed four times for 43 yards, an average of 10.8 yards per attempt.

Williams' career return average of 27.5 yards ranks seventh all-time, and his six career kick-return touchdowns tie for the fourth most. Along with his leaguewide records, Williams leads the way in the Packers' history books in kick-return touchdowns with five.

Williams achieved this success despite only spending four seasons in Green Bay. During that time, he also rushed for 1,063 yards and six touchdowns and caught 49 passes for 530 yards and five scores. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent one season.

In 1997, Williams was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

The 5 best kick returners in Packers history by kick-return yards