The kicking game in professional football is defined by ruthless pressure and fickle fanbases, but for 14 seasons in Kansas City, Nick Lowery provided rare, unflappable stability. Originally going undrafted out of Dartmouth in 1978 and attempting a single field goal for the New England Patriots before bouncing around multiple training camps, few expected much when the young specialist arrived in Missouri in 1980. Lowery won the starting job outright and immediately rewarded the franchise with elite leg accuracy.

Lowery announced his presence by leading the entire NFL in field goal accuracy during his debut 1980 campaign, converting 80.0% of his attempts. He followed that up in 1981 by earning his first Pro Bowl selection, drilling a 57-yard game-winner along the way and establishing himself as one of the few placekickers of the era with legitimate long-range power and touch on short attempts.

His production reached iconic status as the decade progressed. Lowery captured consensus AP First-Team All-Pro honors in 1985 after pacing the league at 85.2% accuracy, and he duplicated that First-Team All-Pro selection in 1990 by connecting on an astonishing 34 of 37 field goal attempts (91.9%). In total, he led the NFL in field goal percentage three separate times (1980, 1985, and 1990), proving to be the ultimate weapon for Marty Schottenheimer's low-scoring, possession-focused teams.

He hit 329 field goals and 498 extra points, totaling 1,486 points and becoming the all-time leading scorer in Chiefs franchise history. Lowery entered the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2009.