Russell Erxleben (born January 13, 1957) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and

investor An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of pr ...

. A highly decorated college kicker for the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, Erxleben was a three-time All-American punter (

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, 1977, and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

) and set the record for the longest successful field goal in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

history at 67 yards, which is still tied today. He was unexpectedly selected by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL draft as a combination kicker and punter, where he remains the highest drafted punter and the second highest kicker in NFL history. Erxleben only spent six years in the NFL and was widely described as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts. He later became a currency investor, and was convicted of

securities fraud Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information. "Former New Orleans Saints punter Russell Erxleben gets 7 years in prison for investment scam", nola.com, Feb. 25, 2014
/ref> Jazmine Ulloa, "Ex-Longhorn kicker Russell Erxleben gets 90 months in prison for scams", Austin American-Statesman, Feb. 24, 2014
/ref>

Early life

Erxleben was raised in the small city of Seguin, Texas, located about 35 miles (55 km) east of

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, and was a multi-sport athlete in his youth. He'd later focus his attention on

, where he became the starting

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, kicker, and punter for Sequin High School. He was soon recognized by recruiters for his kicking abilities and exceptional leg strength, having a conventional straight-on kicking style using a two-step approach. He entered the

as a top prospect in 1975.

College career

Erxleben quickly earned a reputation as a reliable kicker for the Texas Longhorns. In December of his freshman year, he played in the Bluebonnet Bowl against

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Despite early troubles in the game, including a missed field goal and a blocked

extra point Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

, Erxleben kicked a field goal late in the game, breaking the tie and securing the win for Texas. In 1977, in a game against

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

, he set the record for the longest field goal in

history with a 67-yard kick (with tee). UT

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Fred Akers said of the kick, "It was like a gunshot. We couldn't believe a ball was going that far. It had another eight yards on it." Erxleben kicked two other field goals over 60 yards that season. Rule changes in NCAA football since 1977, specifically the prohibition of kicking tees for field goals, as well as changes to the placement of the ball following a failed kick, have discouraged such long attempts, thus attempts to break the record are now rare. The longest field goal since the rule changes came in 1998 when Martin Gramatica of Kansas State made a 65-yard attempt. Erxleben is the only three-time All-American punter in NCAA history, being a consensus choice in

, 1977, and

. He completed his college career with 44 games played for 39 out of 65 field goals made (60% FG%), 83 out of 90 extra point kicks made (92% XP%), and 165 total punts for 7,740 yards.

Professional playing career

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, Erxleben was drafted in the first round (11th pick overall) by the

, listed as both a kicker and a punter. He is still the highest drafted punter of all time (although Ray Guy would be the highest drafted pure punter), and the second highest drafted kicker behind Charlie Gogolak in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

. This was also the second consecutive year a kicker/punter went in the 1st round, after the St. Louis Cardinals took Steve Little 15th overall in

. The Saints and new head coach Dick Nolan had gone through a number of kicking troubles during the 1978 season, and while the team had landed solid veterans in both positions ( Rich Szaro at placekicker and Tom Blanchard at punter) by the end of the year, Nolan hoped to save a roster spot by having Erxleben perform both the place-kicking and punting duties. During Erxleben's NFL debut on September 2, 1979, the Saints and arch-rival

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

went into overtime tied at 34–34. Midway through overtime, a snap went over Erxleben's head and rolled to the goal line. Erxleben picked the ball up and made a hurried chest pass which was immediately intercepted by Atlanta's James Mayberry at the 6-yard line, who trotted into the end zone for a touchdown and led to a 40–34 Falcon victory. The next week in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Erxleben pulled his

groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...

, forcing the Saints to use fullback Tony Galbreath as their emergency placekicker and wide receiver Wes Chandler at punter against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. The Saints lost 28–19, and Erxleben had to be placed on injured reserve for the remainder of his rookie season. Nolan was forced to sign Garo Yepremian and Rick Partridge to handle the kicking/punting chores in Erxleben's extended absence. New Orleans finished the year at 8–8, one game behind the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, who won the division and played in Super Bowl XIV. Following his disappointing rookie season, Erxleben missed a game-tying field goal attempt in the 1980 season opener, resulting in a 26–23 loss to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, a team that had won a total of four games over the previous two seasons. The loss was the first of 14 consecutive defeats for the Saints, who ultimately ended the year 1–15. After a poor kicking performance in the first two games of the season, Erxleben would resign from placekicking duties, and continued his career for the Saints exclusively as an average punter. Erxleben was New Orleans' union representative during the 1982 NFL players' strike. In 1982, the Saints drafted Morten Andersen, who would be the team's placekicker for the next 13 seasons. The Saints released Erxleben in 1984 after drafting his replacement, Brian Hansen. After four years out of football, he attempted a comeback with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, but only played one game and retired for good the following year. He played six total seasons in the NFL, most of them as punter. He ended his career with 280 total punts for 11,381 yards, and only 8 field goal attempts with a 50% completion rate. He did not make the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

during his NFL career. Due to his unprecedentedly high draft position, underwhelming performance compared to college, and injuries, Erxleben is often listed as one of the Saints' biggest draft busts.

NFL career statistics

Legal issues

After retiring from the NFL, he became a financial investor in foreign exchange trading, founding Austin Forex International in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. In 1999, following a tip, an investigation by the Texas State Securities Board and the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

ensued; and Erxleben eventually pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit

securities fraud Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information.mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

, and a second count for securities fraud in connection with misleading statements regarding the past performance of Austin Forex. On September 18, 2000, Erxleben was sentenced by

United States District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district. Each district cov ...

Judge James R. Nowlin to 84 months in prison and ordered to pay a total of $28 million in

restitution Restitution and unjust enrichment is the field of law relating to gains-based recovery. In contrast with damages (the law of compensation), restitution is a claim or remedy requiring a defendant to give up benefits wrongfully obtained. Liability ...

with a $1 million fine. Erxleben's lawyers, the law firm of Locke, Liddell & Sapp, settled a related lawsuit for $22 million in 2000. Other law firms settled and a total of $34 million was collected in the combined suits. On January 24, 2013, Erxleben was arrested again on various federal charges related to an alleged

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...

. In December 2013 Erxleben pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. On February 24, 2014, he was sentenced to 90 months in prison. He was released from custody on 19 July 2019.Federal Bureau of Prisons website
/ref>

References

Notes

External links

NFL playing stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erxleben, Russell American football placekickers New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Austin, Texas Texas Longhorns football players Detroit Lions players 1957 births Living people American people convicted of money laundering All-American college football players American people convicted of fraud American financial traders Currency traders American sportspeople convicted of crimes