Age: 30 (Nov.
29)
9th
season in pro football, 1st with Cardinals
College: Washington
Height: 5’11” Weight: 185
Prelude:
Following two
years at Cerritos Junior College in California, Camarillo transferred to the
Univ. of Washington and averaged 39.3 yards on 115 punts in 1979 and ’80. He
joined the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1981 and spent
seven seasons with them. Camarillo proved to be an excellent directional punter
with good hang time. He received second-team All-NFL recognition from NEA in
1982 and was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice in ’83, when he was also
chosen to the Pro Bowl. Camarillo was released by the Patriots following the
1988 season, having punted 468 times for a 42.6-yard average. He spent ’89 with
the Rams where his average dropped to a career-low 39.5 yards over the course
of nine games, after which he was again released. Camarillo signed with the
Cardinals as a free agent for 1989.
1989 Season Summary
Appeared in 15
of 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Punting
Punts – 76 [10,
tied with Hank Ilesic]
Most punts,
game – 8 at Dallas 10/29, vs. Denver 12/16
Yards – 3298 [8]
Average – 43.4
[1]
Best average,
game – 48.6 (on 7 punts) at LA Rams 11/19
Punts blocked
– 0
Longest punt
– 58 yards
Passing
Attempts – 1
Completions –
1
Yards – 0
TD passes – 0
Interceptions
– 0
Awards &
Honors:
2nd
team All-NFL: AP
2nd
team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl
Cardinals
went 5-11 to finish fourth in the NFC East.
Aftermath:
Camarillo’s
excellent 1989 season, in which he put 21 punts inside the 20 with only six
touchbacks, was the first of five with the Cardinals, which were his best. He
was a Pro Bowl selection after three consecutive seasons, when he was also a first-team
All-NFC choice of Pro Football Weekly and UPI, and received consensus
first-team All-NFL recognition in 1992. Camarillo had a career-high 45.3
average in ’91 and, moving on to the Houston Oilers in 1994, set a then-league
record with 35 punts inside the 20 (along with Pittsburgh’s Mark Royals). He
spent one more year with the Oilers in ’95, which effectively concluded his NFL
career although he was active for one game with the Raiders in 1996 but added
nothing to his punting statistics. Overall, over the course of 16 seasons,
Camarillo averaged 42.7 yards on 1027 punts, with 346 punts for a 43.7-yard
average coming with the Cards. He received consensus first-team All-NFL honors
twice, first- or second-team all-conference recognition after four other
seasons, and was chosen to five Pro Bowls.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were first-team
All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following
statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards,
Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
