Note: This is a look back, for the people who want to learn, or to never forget....
Today's topic, has been around more recently. He's in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame, and presently, quite well known, after all, he has an award named after him in College football, and presently resides in several hall of fames.
He's Ray Guy.
Most people don't consider the Punter's job to be all that important. However, he is the man, that is going to make your opponent, work for a lot more yardage. His job, is to kick it far enough, and get it up long enough, that you can't return it....or better, a good tackle, and you can get the ball, almost as good as a long completion.
Ray Guy, just from the start, was something of an anomaly. He had hang time. He had an ability, to set the ball up, leave it there, and then drop it into the coffin corner, where all good punts go to die.
A little snapshot, via the web:
In Junior high, Ray could kick a ball 74 feet. Know many kids that could kick it that far?
In High School, he upped it to 88, lettered 16 times, in 4 sports, and was even drafted by the Reds, for baseball.
Along comes college, he actually had quite a career. In baseball, he threw one of only 4 no-hitters, played Free Safety, making 18 interceptions, kicked a 61 yard field goal during a snowstorm.....and still punted, nailing a 93 yard punt.
Oh, and for all this, he was drafted another 3 times, again by the Reds, Braves, and Royals.
Finally, he went to football.

Oakland, always the mavericks of the NFL, took a gamble, picking him in the first round.
He proceeded to reward them royally, with a 14 year career.
During this career, he was able to play in 3 super bowls, punted 1049 times, for over 44000 yards.
207 straight games, never missing one in 14 years.
As well, he had a career average, of 42.4 yards....619 punts in a row, no blocks.

For what he did, the best punter in the country, takes home the Ray Guy Award, each season.

Hopefully, this year, a new Raider will be enshrined, into the Hall of Fame.
He's Due.



Some of his more memorable episodes, included being the first person to kick a ball off the Superdome's hanging Scoreboard.
He also had a ball confiscated, for testing, when they thought it was filled with Helium. The ball, tested at Rice, came back normal.
Also holds the Pro Bowl's record, for career punts, with 33.
And out of all the punts.....3 blocks.

Probably the most lasting detail, out of all his stats, is comparing him to a modern, NFL punter.
There was a recent article, regarding a new punter in the NFL, and the talk of Hang Time.
The person writing it, was saying, he'd never seen a person break the 5 second mark....and this one kid was at 5.1 seconds.
Ray Guy, as Madden had seen it, was in the 6s.....that's a long time to be floating a kick.