Honors & Awards
- Member of Three Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995, 1997)
- First-Team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American (1998)
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (1998)
- Second-Team All-Big 12 (Austin American-Statesman, 1998)
- Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches, 1998)
- Honorable-Mention Academic All-Big 12 (1997)
Career
The 5-11, 200-pounder from Norfolk, Neb., was a member of three national championship teams during his time at Nebraska. During Lafleur's five seasons in Lincoln, the Huskers went 58-6, won the final Big Eight title in league history and the first Big 12 football title in conference history, while adding a third league title in 1997. He was a member of Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne's final Nebraska team in 1997, and a starter in Frank Solich's first season as the Husker head coach.
Lafleur continued his football career with the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe in 2001 and 2002, before earning a spot with the San Diego Chargers in 2002. He signed with San Francisco in midseason of 2002 and punted for the 49ers in 2002 and 2003, before returning to the Chargers for his final NFL season in 2004. He finished his NFL career netting 3,434 punting yards on 90 punts, an average of 38.2 yards per punt.
1998 (Senior)
After waiting in the wings for four seasons, Bill Lafleur took over Nebraska's punting chores after the graduation of Jesse Kosch. A four-year letterman at NU, Lafleur produced one of the top seasons in school history by averaging 44.9 yards on 52 punts, including a career-long 64-yard blast against Missouri. He also buried opponents inside their own 20-yard line on 17 occasions. His performance on the field helped him earn second-team All-Big 12 honors from the Austin American-Statesman, while adding third-team All-Big 12 accolades from the conference coaches.
Lafleur was even better off the field, where he captured first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors by posting a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average as an education major. He was also a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior, after earning honorable-mention academic All-Big 12 honors in 1997.
1997 (Junior)
Lafleur brought home his third national championship ring, seeing action in two games, including a 40-yard punt against Kansas State, to earn his third varsity letter.
1996 (Sophomore)
Lafleur punted twice for a 47.5-yard average in Nebraska's season-opening win over Michigan State. He boomed a season-long 53-yard punt and earned his second career letter.
1995 (Freshman)
In his second season at Nebraska. Lafleur earned his first action with a 30-yard punt in a win over Missouri. He claimed his first varsity letter as the Huskers won their second consecutive national championship with a perfect season.
1994 (Redshirt)
A walk-on, Lafleur redshirted as a member of Nebraska's 1994 undefeated national championship team.
Norfolk Catholic High School
Lafleur played quarterback and safety and handled all kicking duties for Coach Jeff Bellar at Norfolk Catholic. Lafleur led the Knights to the Class C state title in 1992 and a runner-up finish as a senior in 1993. He averaged 44 yards per punt as a senior. Lafleur claimed all-state honors as both a quarterback and a punter in 1993. He was also a three-time state track qualifier and placed second in the triple jump by covering 45 feet as a senior.
Personal
The son of Jim and Libby Lafleur, Bill was born on Feb. 25, 1976. He was an education major at Nebraska and claimed first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1998.
Lafleur's Career Statistics
| Punting | Inside |
|||||||
| Year | Games | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Net | Long | Bk | Opp. 20 |
| 1994 | Redshirted | |||||||
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 30.0 | 30 vs. MU | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 2 | 95 | 47.5 | 29.5 | 53 vs. MSU | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 40.0 | 42.0 | 40 vs. KSU | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 12 | 52 | 2,337 | 44.9 | 39.4 | 64 vs. MU | 2 | 17 |
| Totals | 16 | 56 | 2,502 | 44.7 | 35.3 | 64 vs. MU | 2 | 17 |
1998 Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona: Punts 6-39.2 average, long of 59