Aggie Punting Legend Shane Lechler Named Honorary Captain for Advocare Texas Kickoff

Here is an official press release from the Advocare Texas Kickoff.

HOUSTON - The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff has announced the honorary captains for the Texas A&M and Arizona State kickoff game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sept. 5. These two players have a combined 29 years of pro playing experience and are both among the most elite in the NFL to have played their positions. Former Texas A&M Aggie punter Shane Lechler of the Houston Texans, and former Arizona State Sun Devil lineman and Pro Football Hall of Famer Curley Culp will represent their schools along with representatives of AdvoCare at midfield prior to the 6 p.m. CDT kickoff onSaturday, Sept. 5 at NRG Stadium.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Curley Culp played 13 years in the American Football League and National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions. During his outstanding career, Culp played both offensive and defensive line and was elected to a Pro Bowl or AFL All-Star Game six times. The NFL legend and member of the 2013 Hall of Fame class played college football at Arizona State University, where he also won the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship.

Culp is a member of the ASU Football Hall of Fame and was the school’s Homecoming King in 1967. During his NFL career, Culp complied 68.0 career sacks and was a member of the Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV. After spending 1968-74 with the Chiefs, Culp was traded to the Oilers and spent seven years in Houston. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975 and was the Oilers team MVP in 1977. Culp was also named to the Houston Oilers 30th Anniversary "Dream Team", as selected by vote of the Houston Oilers fans, and got enshrined into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2008. Additionally, Culp received the Bill Ennis Memorial Award [HSSA] as the Professional Athlete of the Year in 1975 and was recognized as the No. 1 Athlete of the Century for the State of Arizona by USA Today.

Lechler is the most veteran member of the Texans and has been a vital part of the special teams unit for the past two seasons. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of 2000 NFL Draft and spent 13 seasons with the Raiders before being signed by the Texans. Lechler has been one of the best punters in NFL History. He holds the best gross punting average ever at 47.5 yards per punt and was the fastest player in NFL history to reach 50,000 yards punting. Lechler is also a seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro. The former Aggie currently holds the longest active streak of games played in in the NFL with 205 consecutive games.

During his time at Texas A&M, Lechler set an NCAA record for career punting average (44.7), was a two-time All-American and a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection.

This will be the first time that the two football programs have played each other.

A limited number of tickets remain for the 2015 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff.  Visit Ticketmaster.com or call 832-667-2390 for more information.