Ray Guy
Encyclopedia
William Ray Guy is a retired American football
punter for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
. Coming from the University of Southern Mississippi, he was the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft
when the Oakland Raiders selected him in 1973.
Guy was a key member of three Super Bowl
-winning Raiders teams: Super Bowls XI
, XV
, and XVIII
. Arguably, his best performance was in Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Redskins
. When the Raiders' offense faltered just outside the field goal range of placekicker
Chris Bahr
, Guy, known for his power, showed a great deal of finesse by booting a 27-yard punt that pinned the Washington Redskins
on their own 12-yard line late in the first half. On the very next play, the Raiders' Jack Squirek
intercepted Washington quarterback Joe Theismann
and returned it for a touchdown that gave them a 21-3 halftime lead.
as of 2010.
Ray Guy retired in 1986. During his career, Guy:
Ray Guy was selected to seven AFC
Pro Bowl teams, and in 1994, he was named the punter on the National Football League's 75th Anniversary Team.
He was also an outstanding placekicker at Southern Mississippi, once kicking a then-record 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm during a game in Utah
. After his senior season at Southern Miss, Guy was named Most Valuable Player of the annual College All-Star game, in which an all-star team of college seniors played the current Super Bowl champion. And in addition to his kicking prowess, Guy was also a starting safety in college. During his senior season, he intercepted a USM record eight passes, and was named an All-American defensive back. Guy also played quarterback in his early years and was officially the Oakland Raiders' last-string emergency quarterback, ironically replacing kicker-quarterback George Blanda
in this position. During the time that Blanda was still with the Raiders, early in Guy's career, Guy would occasionally do kickoffs for the Raiders because the aging Blanda no longer had great range.
Ray Guy has been inducted into both the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame, and many feel he is worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. In 1994, he was the first pure punter to be nominated for enshrinement. On April 21, 2008, Guy was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
.
Joe Horrigan, the historian of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
once said: "He's the first punter you could look at and say: 'He won games.'" Guy's punts often doomed opposing offenses to poor field position.
At the 1976 Pro Bowl, Ray Guy became the first punter to hit the Louisiana Superdome video screen. Officials raised the screen from 90 feet to 200 feet.
Ray Guy was known for punts with a high hang time
; he once punted the ball with so much hangtime that the opponents pulled the ball and had it tested for helium. The hangtime statistic was also instituted in the NFL during his time, possibly because of him.
, to be awarded to the nation's best collegiate punter. Since many collegiate punters nominated for the Ray Guy Award are either former students or work at his kicking camps, Guy himself does not participate in the voting process to avoid accusations of favoritism.
, for high-school punters, placekickers, and longsnappers. In 2007, the camp was once again held on the campus of Colorado College. He has help from son Ryan Guy.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Coming from the University of Southern Mississippi, he was the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
when the Oakland Raiders selected him in 1973.
Guy was a key member of three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
-winning Raiders teams: Super Bowls XI
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
, XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
, and XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
. Arguably, his best performance was in Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. When the Raiders' offense faltered just outside the field goal range of placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Chris Bahr
Chris Bahr
Chris Bahr is a former professional American football and soccer player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League and played midfielder in the North American Soccer League.-Soccer:...
, Guy, known for his power, showed a great deal of finesse by booting a 27-yard punt that pinned the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on their own 12-yard line late in the first half. On the very next play, the Raiders' Jack Squirek
Jack Squirek
Jack Steve Squirek is a former professional American football linebacker in the NFL who played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1982 to 1986 and for the Miami Dolphins in 1986.-Career Highlights:...
intercepted Washington quarterback Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
and returned it for a touchdown that gave them a 21-3 halftime lead.
Playing success
Ray Guy was the first and only punter ever to be selected in the first round in the NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
as of 2010.
Ray Guy retired in 1986. During his career, Guy:
- Played in 207 consecutive games
- Punted 1,049 times for 44,493 yards, averaging 42.4 yards per punt, with a 33.8 net yards average
- Had 210 punts inside the 20 yard line (not counting his first 3 seasons, when the NFL did not keep track of this stat), with just 128 touchbacks
- Led the NFL in punting three times
- Had a streak of 619 consecutive punts before having one blocked
- Has a record of 111 career punts in post season games
- Had five punts of over 60 yards during the 1981 season
- Never had a punt returned for a touchdown
Ray Guy was selected to seven AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Pro Bowl teams, and in 1994, he was named the punter on the National Football League's 75th Anniversary Team.
He was also an outstanding placekicker at Southern Mississippi, once kicking a then-record 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm during a game in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. After his senior season at Southern Miss, Guy was named Most Valuable Player of the annual College All-Star game, in which an all-star team of college seniors played the current Super Bowl champion. And in addition to his kicking prowess, Guy was also a starting safety in college. During his senior season, he intercepted a USM record eight passes, and was named an All-American defensive back. Guy also played quarterback in his early years and was officially the Oakland Raiders' last-string emergency quarterback, ironically replacing kicker-quarterback George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
in this position. During the time that Blanda was still with the Raiders, early in Guy's career, Guy would occasionally do kickoffs for the Raiders because the aging Blanda no longer had great range.
Ray Guy has been inducted into both the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame, and many feel he is worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. In 1994, he was the first pure punter to be nominated for enshrinement. On April 21, 2008, Guy was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit, that was created by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in 1979.-Inductees:...
.
Joe Horrigan, the historian of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
once said: "He's the first punter you could look at and say: 'He won games.'" Guy's punts often doomed opposing offenses to poor field position.
At the 1976 Pro Bowl, Ray Guy became the first punter to hit the Louisiana Superdome video screen. Officials raised the screen from 90 feet to 200 feet.
Ray Guy was known for punts with a high hang time
Hang time
Hang time generally refers to how long something stays in the air:* In basketball, the length of time a player stays in the air after jumping, either to make a slam dunk, lay-up or jump shot....
; he once punted the ball with so much hangtime that the opponents pulled the ball and had it tested for helium. The hangtime statistic was also instituted in the NFL during his time, possibly because of him.
The Ray Guy Award
In 2000, the Greater Augusta Sports Council instituted the Ray Guy AwardRay Guy Award
The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, a former All-American at Southern Mississippi and an all-pro player for the Oakland Raiders.-Criteria:...
, to be awarded to the nation's best collegiate punter. Since many collegiate punters nominated for the Ray Guy Award are either former students or work at his kicking camps, Guy himself does not participate in the voting process to avoid accusations of favoritism.
Pro kicking camps
In 2005, Ray Guy helped organize and participated in two-day kicking camps, held throughout the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, for high-school punters, placekickers, and longsnappers. In 2007, the camp was once again held on the campus of Colorado College. He has help from son Ryan Guy.