Allen Rossum Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum ( born October 22 , 1975 ) is a retired American football cornerback and return specialist . He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft . He played college football at Notre Dame . Rossum has also played for the Green Bay Packers , Atlanta Falcons , Pittsburgh Steelers , San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys . He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2004 . Rossum has been one of the most consistent returners in the league during his 12 - year career . That consistency has put him in the top five of all - time return leaders and he currently sits in first among active players in both punt and kickoff return yards . He is the only player in NFL history to have a kickoff return for a touchdown with five different teams . Early years . Rossum attended Skyline High School in Dallas , Texas , where he played option quarterback , receiver and tailback in addition to returning kicks and playing defensive back . He recorded 580 tackles and 13 interceptions . He also rushed for 1 , 634 yards and had 12 touchdown receptions as a senior . Track and field . Rossum was an accomplished track star as well , captaining his high school team all four years and setting the 1993 HS record in the 100m with a 10 . 02 . College career . Rossum was recruited by every school in the former Southwest Conference . He accepted a scholarship from the University of Notre Dame , where he became a starter for the Fighting Irish football team during his sophomore year and served as one of three senior captains in 1997 . During his career there , he set an NCAA career record with nine touchdown returns ( three interceptions , three punts and three kickoffs ) . As a cornerback , he tallied seven interceptions , 144 tackles , two sacks and 12 passes defensed . He also ran for the Irish track team , becoming a two - time All - America n competing in the 55 - meter dash . Rossum graduated early from Notre Dame with a dual degree in business and computer applications . Professional career . Philadelphia Eagles . Rossum was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round ( 85th overall ) of the 1998 NFL draft . Rossum set Eagles single - season records for kickoff returns ( 54 ) and kickoff return yds ( 1 , 347 ) , while ranking 4th in NFC ( and 5th in the NFL ) with a 24 . 9 avg . He was selected as the special teams MVP by his teammates . Tallied 12 tackles and 2 PDs at CB , adding a career - high 17 special teams stops and ranking 7th in conference with an 8 . 9 avg . on 28 punt returns in addition to an 86 - yd . return to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week . In his rookie season shared punt return duties with Freddie Solomon , Jr . , returning 22 for 187 yds . ( 8 . 5 avg . ) . He played two seasons with the Eagles as a return specialist and backup cornerback . During his career with the Eagles , he returned 50 punts for 437 yards and 98 kickoffs for 2 , 427 yards with one returned for a touchdown ( an 89 - yard return against the Washington Redskins ) . Green Bay Packers . Rossum was acquired by the Green Bay Packers for an undisclosed draft pick in 2000 and spent two seasons with the team , during which he returned 40 punts for 357 yards and one touchdown ( a 55 - yard return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) , and returned 73 kickoffs for 1 , 719 yards and one touchdown ( a 92 - yard return against the Indianapolis Colts and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts . Atlanta Falcons . After two seasons with the Packers , he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an unrestricted free agent and became the team ’ s all - time leader in kickoff and punt return yardage . In 2003 , he led the NFL with 545 punt return yards . Rossum won the NFL ' s " fastest man " competition at the 2005 Pro Bowl , where he also made his first appearance for the NFC squad as a kick returner , replacing injured Eddie Drummond of the Detroit Lions . In his five seasons with Atlanta , he returned 154 punts for 1 , 723 yards and two touchdowns ( one a 59 - yard return against the Tennessee Titans , another a 75 - yard return against the Kansas City Chiefs ) , and returned 250 kickoffs for 5 , 489 yards and one touchdown ( a 91 - yard return against the Seattle Seahawks ) . During the 2004 season , Rossum also recorded two interceptions as a cornerback and set a playoff record in a win against the St . Louis Rams with 152 punt return yards on just three returns , an average of 50 . 7 yards per return . Pittsburgh Steelers . In 2007 , Rossum was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2008 conditional draft pick , but was released after one season . He returned 36 punts for 232 yards , and returned 38 kickoffs for 885 yards and one touchdown ( a 98 - yard return against the San Francisco 49ers ) . San Francisco 49ers . Rossum signed with the San Francisco 49ers on February 29 , 2008 . The 49ers used him primarily as a kick returner , although he occasionally played as a receiver during the season , scoring a rushing touchdown on a reverse against the Detroit Lions - the first rushing touchdown of his career . Rossum became the first 49ers defensive back to score an offensive touchdown since Dicky Moegle in 1955 ( December 11 , 1955 vs . Baltimore Colts ) . He returned 15 punts for 223 yards , and returned 47 kickoffs for 1 , 259 yards and a touchdown ( a 104 - yard return , the longest of his NFL career , against the Arizona Cardinals on a Monday Night Football game ) . Rossum finished sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC with a 26 . 8 average on kickoff returns and a 14 . 9 yard average on punt returns . Due to his strong performance , he was named a second alternate returner for the 2009 Pro Bowl . An unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason , Rossum was re - signed by the 49ers on February 27 , 2009 . He recorded his 300th career punt return in a game against the Seattle Seahawks , but was ultimately released on October 12 , 2009 to make room on the roster for rookie Michael Crabtree . Dallas Cowboys . Rossum was signed by the Dallas Cowboys on October 13 , 2009 . The Cowboys had not used a return specialist in quite some time , and Rossum taook over for Felix Jones and Patrick Crayton on kick and punt return duties , an area where the Cowboys have had trouble with in the past . Rossum suffered an injury on his first play as a member of the Dallas Cowboys . In his absence , Patrick Crayton returned two punts for touchdowns . He was waived on November 23 . Career statistics . Defensive Kick Returns Punt Returns Rossum ' s Highs Personal . Rossum and his wife , Angela , have four daughters : Trinity Amaia , Talia Alyse , and twins Alexa and Avian . He won the National Fatherhood Award in 2005 . He established the Allen Rossum Healthy Kids Foundation and hosts an annual Allen Rossum Golf Tournament .