In 1996, the New England Patriots signed a little-known kicker out of South Dakota State: Adam Vinatieri. The undrafted free agent would go on to spend the next 10 years of his career with the Patriots and play a prominent role in the team's first three Super Bowl titles. Along the way, Vinatieri earned a reputation as the most clutch kicker in NFL history – and what will one day be a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Had Vinatieri decided to hang up the cleats in 2005 when his contract in New England expired, he would still have had a Hall of Fame career.