Is Vikings K, Will Reichard the First Kicker in MVP Conversation? An American Studier Connecting Past and Present
[Chris Martin is a fourth year undergraduate student, majoring in History, with a minor in Secondary Education at Fitchburg State University. Currently, Chris is working with Dr. Ben Railton on his honors thesis, in which he is writing a biopic screenplay on former MVP kicker, Mark Moseley.]
As a passionate young sports fan, Fall is my favorite time of the year, mainly due to the return of football season. As an aspiring historian and student of the American Studies approach, this football season, I have been able to connect the subject of my current research project to a growing story within the current NFL season, in what’s been a wonderful example of sports history repeating itself, and for myself, impeccable timing.
This past week, the Minnesota Vikings became the sole remaining undefeated team in the league, following their victory over the Colts, as well as losses by both the Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Francisco 49ers. While the team may be undefeated, they have gained the least offensive yardage amongst all teams in the league this season. This brings forth the question: How are they undefeated? The answer, which may come as a surprise to some, is Will Reichard, their 3rd year kicker.
Reichard has been a primary factor towards the Vikings’ victories throughout the year. When Minnesota’s offense struggles to put points on the board, Reichard has been there to pick up the slack, and put key points on the board. Multiple games this season have been won off the back of Reichard’s kicks (including wins over Chicago and Miami, in which his field goals were the only points scored by the team). It is precisely this reason that has caused some in the sphere to begin to include his name in league MVP conversations (Tanick, 2026). If this were to become a reality, and Reichard were to actually win the award, he wouldn’t be the first kicker with that accomplishment, as that designation belongs to Mark Moseley, who did so following the 1982 season. This is where Reichard’s story connects to my current work.
Over the past year, I have been conducting research on Mark Moseley, with the sole goal of re-telling the tale of his MVP season in a way that highlights his achievement, while also explaining what factors came into play that would allow for a placekicker to win the league MVP award. To do this, I chose to take an interdisciplinary approach, and have begun writing a biographical (bio-pic) screenplay focused on Moseley throughout his 1982 MVP season. Throughout the research, and now writing process, I have been adamant on the fact that Moseley’s MVP win is one that is unprecedented and probably won’t ever happen again. But as an ironic slap to the face, in the first football season since I started the project, it is looking possible for another kicker to be the MVP.
In 1982, it took several narrow margins resulting in game-winning kicks, and a players’ strike shortening the season to 9 games for Moseley to win the award. Now, as the Vikings offense continues to be lackluster, Reichard’s contributions alone could allow him to win the award in a full-length season.
Reichard’s modern successes, and MVP talks will only make the story of Mark Moseley and his MVP award more relevant, as it will inherently place the spotlight back on him, as the first kicker to win that award, serving as a reminder to voters that it isn’t impossible to award a kicker with the prestigious honor that has in recent years has come to be known as a “quarterback’s award”.
In Sports, History tends to find a way to repeat itself, sometimes returning in ways that glorify the dramatic irony that it produces in the process. Upon beginning my research, I never thought I’d be around to see another kicker win an MVP award, or at least not anytime in the near future. However, that does not mean that I won’t be rooting for Will Reichard going forward. I look forward to seeing how far he can take Minnesota, and hope that he joins Moseley on the list of MVP kickers.
[Next series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What do you think?]
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