5 best kickers in the history of the Minnesota Vikings

During the long history of the Minnesota Vikings, the kicking position isn't exactly something that has provided the franchise with a ton of positive memories. Instead, a number of the Vikings' most agonizing moments in the team's existence have been due to one of their kickers making a mistake.

At the same time, Minnesota kickers have also put together some of the best single-season performances in NFL history. Unfortunately, these performances are often forgotten by the Vikings fan base because of all the heartbreak kickers have caused the franchise in the past.

So, looking at all when looking back at all of the kickers who have ever attempted a field goal in a Vikings uniform, who are the five that should be regarded as the absolute best in the history of the franchise?

Top 5 kickers in Minnesota Vikings history

5. Fuad Reveiz (1990 - 1995)

Pro Bowl Selections with Vikings: 1
All-Pro Selections with Vikings: 0
Field-Goal Conversion Rate with Vikings: 77.8 percent

Fuad Reveiz arrived in Minnesota in the middle of the 1990 season. Reveiz was let go by the San Diego Chargers after four games, and the Vikings ended up taking a chance on him.

In nine games with Minnesota in 1990, he broke the franchise's single-season record for field-goal percentage after he converted 11 of his 12 field-goal attempts (91.7 percent). Unsurprisingly, the Vikings kept Reveiz around for a few more seasons after his performance in 1990.

During the rest of his tenure with Minnesota, he was never able to finish with a field-goal conversion rate above 90 percent again, but his 87.2 field-goal percentage in the 1994 season was good enough to earn him the only Pro Bowl selection of his NFL career.

4. Blair Walsh (2012 - 2016)

Pro Bowl Selections with Vikings: 1
All-Pro Selections with Vikings: 1
Field-Goal Conversion Rate with Vikings: 84.2 percent

Yes, the end of Blair Walsh's tenure with Minnesota went terribly. However, Walsh being on this list should tell everyone how difficult it has been for the Vikings to find a reliable kicker during their history.

It might be hard for some to believe, but Walsh's career with Minnesota actually got off to a great start. After the Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he went on to make 92.1 percent of the field goals he attempted during his rookie campaign, including all 10 attempts from 50 yards away or further.

Walsh's impressive performance in 2012 resulted in the only Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections of his NFL career. He was solid again in 2013 with Minnesota, hitting 86.7 percent of his field-goal tries, but after this season is when things started to go downhill.

Walsh struggled in 2014 when the Vikings switched to temporarily playing their home games outdoors while U.S. Bank Stadium was being built, as his field-goal rate dropped to 74.3 percent. But then he was able to bounce back during the 2015 regular season and hit 87.2 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Despite his turnaround, his failure to convert a 27-yard field-goal attempt in the closing moments of Minnesota's first-round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 playoffs will forever be cemented in Vikings misery, and he was never the same after that miss.

Walsh's tenure with Minnesota ultimately came to an end in the middle of the 2016 season after he missed four extra-point tries and he only converted 75 percent of his field-goal attempts in nine games.

3. Gary Anderson (1998 - 2002)

Pro Bowl Selections with Vikings: 1
All-Pro Selections with Vikings: 1
Field-Goal Conversion Rate with Vikings: 84.5 percent

Unfortunately, Gary Anderson's time with the Vikings is mostly only remembered for the field-goal attempt he missed in the 1998 NFC Championship. However, Anderson's miss was not the only reason Minnesota lost that NFC Championship and that miss shouldn't erase some of the other accomplishments he had in purple and gold.

After spending the 1997 campaign with the San Francisco 49ers, Anderson signed with the Vikings in 1998, and he went on to convert all 35 of his field-goal attempts during his first regular season in the Twin Cities. His 100 percent field-goal conversion rate in 1998 is still the best ever by a Minnesota kicker in a single season.

Following his infamous miss in the 1998 NFC Championship, Anderson's performance experienced a huge decline in 1999 when he only made 63.3 percent of his field-goal tries. But he was able to bounce back in 2000 when he hit 95.7 percent of his field-goal attempts.

He went on to spend two more years with the Vikings, and his 84.5 field-foal percentage in his tenure with the team ranks fourth all-time in franchise history.

2. Ryan Longwell (2006 - 2011)

Pro Bowl Selections with Vikings: 0
All-Pro Selections with Vikings: 0
Field-Goal Conversion Rate with Vikings: 86.0 percent

After nine seasons of playing in an ugly Green Bay Packers uniform, Ryan Longwell crossed over to the good side in 2006 and signed with Minnesota.

It didn't take him very long to make an impact on the Vikings, as he not only converted three field-goal attempts in a Week 2 matchup against the Carolina Panthers in 2006, but he also threw a 16-yard touchdown in the contest to help Minnesota get the win.

Longwell was solid in each of his next two seasons with the Vikings, but his performance really kicked up a notch in 2009 when he finished with a 92.9 field-goal percentage. Despite his percentage ranking second among all NFL kickers that season, Longwell wasn't among the 10 players from Minnesota's 2009 roster who were voted to the Pro Bowl.

His play remained at a high level in 2010 when he converted 94.4 percent of his field-goal attempts, and then the 2011 season turned out to be his final one in a Vikings uniform.

1. Fred Cox (1963 - 1977)

Pro Bowl Selections with Vikings: 1
All-Pro Selections with Vikings: 0
Field-Goal Conversion Rate with Vikings: 62.0 percent

Some might be scratching their heads with Fred Cox being at the top of this list despite only having a 62 percent career field-goal conversion rate with Minnesota. However, his performance was on par with the majority of the kickers who played in the NFL during a similar time period.

The fact that Cox's 70.3 field-goal percentage led the NFL in 1969 just proves how kickers around the league used to convert their field-goal attempts at a much lower rate than they currently do.

In addition to leading all NFL kickers in field-goal percentage in 1969, Cox also finished a season with one of the five highest field-goal conversion rates in the league six times during his pro career, and he led the NFL in total points scored in both the 1969 and 1970 seasons.

Currently, Cox still holds the Vikings all-time records for career field goals made and career total points scored. Following his tenure in purple and gold, he was named to Minnesota's 25th Anniversary Team in 1985 and their 40th Anniversary team in 2000, in addition to being selected as one of the 50 greatest Vikings players in 2010.

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