EAGAN, Minn. — Will Reichard was a day removed from celebrating his 15th birthday when Blair Walsh missed a game-winning field goal against the Seattle Seahawks on a frigid January day back in 2016. He hadn't even been born when Gary Anderson infamously sailed a kick wide left while trying to send the Minnesota Vikings to their first Super Bowl in more than 20 years.
But those stories live on.
"I've heard some people talk about it," said Reichard, the Vikings' new rookie kicker.
It's no secret that Minnesota has had a history of kicking misfortunes.
Anderson entered that 1998 NFC Championship game as the only kicker at the time to ever complete a regular season without a miss. He had hit his first four postseason attempts, including two in that game. But that miss from 39 yards away overshadowed just about everything he — and that record-setting Vikings offense — had accomplished that season.
Walsh's miss came from just 27 yards out. And while the conditions were abysmal — the temperature was minus-6 with a wind chill of minus-25 — he'd already converted on two field goals, including a 47-yarder in the third quarter. The final kick sailed wide left and the Seahawks escaped with a 10-9 victory.
The Vikings have had 11 kickers since Anderson's miss, with the two longest stints coming from Ryan Longwell (2006-2011) and Walsh (2012-2016). Four kickers have come and gone since Walsh's release, including Greg Joseph, who, after an impressive 2021, connected on fewer than 80% of his field goals over the past two seasons.
But for Reichard, he's not worried about the past. Especially one he wasn't even apart of.
"I'm really just focused on myself and what I can do to be better every single day instead of whatever has happened in the past — good or bad," said Reichard, a sixth round pick out of Alabama.
It's worked for him so far.
From attending the Kohl's Kicking Camp as a sixth-grader to becoming one of the top high school prospects in the nation, Reichard remained focused on his own game — and it paid off.
He set the NCAA record for points scored while kicking for one of the top college programs in the nation. He was a national champion, a two-time All-American and the SEC's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023.
"I'm just trying to be who I am," he said. "Trying to go out there and do my job at the highest level every single day."
Reichard says he's still getting acclimated with the NFL. The hash marks are narrower, the ball is bigger and extra points are kicked from the 15-yard line instead of the 2. He's leaned on punter Ryan Wright and veteran long snapper Andrew DePaola to help him get more acquainted with life in the NFL, but it's not just on the field.
"They've been awesome kind of showing me the way," Reichard said. "Since I'm a rookie, there's a lot of stuff where I don't really know what I'm doing or where to be — all of the smaller details that people don't really think about — and they've led me in the right way."
Reichard is just the third kicker the Vikings have drafted in the past 45 years. Coincidentally, all three have come from the SEC. Walsh was the first after spending four years at Georgia. He was one of the nation's top kickers as a sophomore and junior, but struggled mightily his senior season, hitting on just 21 of his 35 field goal attempts (60%).
The Vikings went on to take Walsh in the sixth round, and he immediately made an impact. Walsh hit 35-of-38 field goals and was a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals over 50 yards to earn him a spot in the Pro Bowl his rookie season. He was selected first-team All-Pro and named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
He went on to spend three and half more seasons with the Vikings before getting released midway through the 2016 campaign.
In 2018, Minnesota drafted Daniel Carlson, who left Auburn as the SEC's all-time leading scorer. Carlson is now one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL, but that wasn't the case in his short time in Minnesota.
As a rookie, Carlson missed three field goals in a game against Green Bay, including two in overtime, which led to his abrupt departure after just two games. He eventually signed with the Raiders and has since connected on 172 of 192 attempts (89.6%), including a long of 57 yards.
Another hapless chapter in a book the Vikings — and Reichard — are hoping to rewrite.
"We've gotten a lot of good work in," said Reichard, who went 7-for-8 in the preseason, including a 57-yarder against the Philadelphia Eagles and a game-winner against the Las Vegas Raiders. "Super pumped up about this first game and ready to put it all on the field and show up."