1,318 yards, by Charlie Calhoun of Texas Tech in 1939
This game, played in a driving rainstorm in Shreveport, La., ranks as one of the most bizarre in football history. Conditions were so bad that both Texas Tech and Centenary adopted the strategy of punting early and often. The teams combined for 77 punts (also a record), and 67 of those occurred on first down in hopes of gaining field position and possibly recovering a fumble near the goal line. Still, offensive futility was the order of the day, as the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Texas Tech’s Charlie Calhoun compiled his punting yards on 36 kicks, for an average of 36.6 yards per boot. Modern fields, both natural and artificial, are designed with better drainage, ruling out a repeat of the sopping 1939 puntfest.
