Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Early life  





2 College career  





3 Professional career  



3.1  Hall of Fame  







4 NFL career statistics  



4.1  Regular season  





4.2  Postseason  







5 Ray Guy Award  





6 Pro kicking camps  





7 Personal life and death  





8 References  





9 External links  














Ray Guy






العربية
Deutsch
Français
Italiano
مصرى

Português
Simple English
Suomi
Türkçe
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Ray Guy
refer to caption
Guy playing for the Raiders in 1985
No. 8
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born:(1949-12-22)December 22, 1949
Swainsboro, Georgia, U.S.
Died:November 3, 2022(2022-11-03) (aged 72)
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Thomson
(Thomson, Georgia)
College:Southern Miss (1970–1972)
NFL draft:1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts:1,049
Punting yards:44,493
Punting average:42.4
Longest punt:77
Inside 20:210
Player stats at PFR

Pro Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

William Ray Guy (December 22, 1949 – November 3, 2022) was an American professional football punter who played for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL).[1] Guy was a first-team All-American selection in 1972 as a senior for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and is the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft,[2] when the Raiders selected him with the 23rd overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft.[3] He won three Super Bowls with the Raiders. Guy was elected to both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. An eight-time All-Pro, Guy is widely considered to be the greatest punter of all-time.[4]

With his induction to the Hall of Fame on August 2, 2014, he became the first pure punter to be so honored.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Guy attended Thomson High SchoolinThomson, Georgia, where he was a four-sport star. Playing quarterback, safety, linebacker, and tailback, aside from kicking and punting duties, Guy led Thomson to the Georgia Class A state football championships in 1967 and 1968. Guy averaged 49.7 yards per punt in 1968. Playing basketball, Guy scored 39 points in a Thomson basketball game the day after the 1968 state championship football game, with no practice. In baseball, Guy pitched a 15-inning scoreless game for Thomson in the state playoff semifinals in 1969. He was also a member of the track team.[6][7]

College career

[edit]

Guy was both a punter and a placekicker at the University of Southern Mississippi, once kicking a then-NCAA record 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm during a game in Utah.[8] In 1972, he kicked a 93-yard punt in a game against the University of Mississippi.[9] He led the nation with an average of 46.2 yards per punt, earning him first-team All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America.[7][10] After his senior season, Guy was named most valuable player of the 1972 Chicago College All-Star Game, in which an all-star team of college seniors played the current Super Bowl champion.[11] His career average of 44.7 yards per punt is still a school record.[12][8] He was also a starting safety at Southern Miss; during his senior season, he set a single-season school record with eight interceptions and was named an All-American defensive back by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[9][11][13]

Guy continued playing baseball at Southern Miss, striking out 266 in 200 innings and pitching a no-hitter.[14]

Professional career

[edit]

Guy was the first punter ever to be selected in the first round in the NFL draft, when the Oakland Raiders selected him with the 23rd overall pick of the 1973 draft.[15]

In his career as a punter, Guy played his entire career with the Raiders and was selected to seven Pro Bowl teams, including six in a row from 1973 to 1978.[16] He was named as the punter on the NFL's 75th and 100th anniversary teams.[17] His trademark was kicking punts that stayed in the air for long periods of time.[18] His punts frequently left opposing offenses pinned deep in their end of the field; by the time opposing punt returners fielded a Guy punt, the Raiders had the field covered so well that a return was impossible. Pro Football Hall of Fame historian Joe Horrigan once said of Guy, "He's the first punter you could look at and say: 'He won games.'"[19]

InSuper Bowl XVIII, Guy punted seven times for 299 yards (42.7 average), with 244 net yards (34.8 average). Five of his punts pinned the Washington Redskins inside their own 20. Due in part to his effective punting, the Los Angeles Raiders easily won the game, 38–9.[20]

After a 1977 game against Houston, Oilers coach Bum Phillips accused Guy of using footballs illegally inflated with helium. Houston returner Billy Johnson stated that he had "never seen anyone hang kickoffs like Guy did", and that the ball was "hanging up there too long". Additionally, the Raiders had used a new ball for every punt, adding to the Oilers' suspicions. Phillips said after the game that he would send the ball to Rice University for testing.[21] Guy punted three times for 107 yards in the game,[22] significantly less than his career average.

During his career, Guy was also the Raiders' emergency quarterback.[23][24] He also handled kickoffs in the first five years of his career.[24][25]

In his 14-year career, Guy:

Hall of Fame

[edit]

Guy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2014 on August 2, 2014.[30][31] For many years before his induction, he was considered one of the most worthy players who had not yet been selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[32] He was the first punter enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and as of 2024, is still the only player at his position in the Hall. In his enshrinement speech, he proudly proclaimed, "Now the Hall of Fame has a complete team."[33]

Guy was inducted into both the Mississippi[34] and Georgia[35] Sports Halls of Fame, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame,[36] the National High School Sports Hall of Fame,[37] and the College Football Hall of Fame.[38]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high
Underline Incomplete data

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP Punting
Pnt Yds Y/P Lng Blck
1973 OAK 14 69 3,127 45.3 72 0
1974 OAK 14 74 3,124 42.2 66 0
1975 OAK 14 68 2,979 43.8 64 0
1976 OAK 14 67 2,785 41.6 66 0
1977 OAK 14 59 2,552 43.3 74 0
1978 OAK 16 81 3,462 42.7 69 2
1979 OAK 16 69 2,939 42.6 71 1
1980 OAK 16 71 3,099 43.6 77 0
1981 OAK 16 96 4,195 43.7 69 0
1982 RAI 9 47 1,839 39.1 57 0
1983 RAI 16 78 3,336 42.8 63 0
1984 RAI 16 91 3,809 41.9 63 0
1985 RAI 16 89 3,627 40.8 68 0
1986 RAI 16 90 3,620 40.2 64 0
Career 207 1,049 44,493 42.4 77 3

Postseason

[edit]
Year Team GP Punting
Pnt Yds Y/P Lng Blck
1973 OAK 2 180 0
1974 OAK 2 516 0
1975 OAK 2 341 0
1976 OAK 3 16 659 41.2 60 1
1977 OAK 2 13 554 42.6 52 0
1980 OAK 4 25 1,155 46.2 71 0
1982 RAI 2 7 282 40.3 45 0
1983 RAI 3 15 615 41.0 55 0
1984 RAI 1 8 335 41.9 54 0
1985 RAI 1 2 68 34.0 35 0
Career 22 111 4,705 42.4 71 1

Ray Guy Award

[edit]

In 2000, the Greater Augusta Sports Council instituted the Ray Guy Award, to be awarded to the nation's best collegiate punter.[39]

Pro kicking camps

[edit]

In 2005, Guy helped organize and participated in two-day kicking camps, held throughout the United States, for high school punters, placekickers, and long snappers.[40]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Guy was married to Beverly Guy. The couple had two children, Ryan and Amber.[41]

In 2011, Guy filed for bankruptcy and auctioned his three Super Bowl rings to help pay his debts.[42] The auction of the rings brought in $96,216, exceeding the upper estimate of $90,000.[43][44]

After a lengthy illness, Guy died on November 3, 2022, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at age 72.[45][46] The cause was advanced-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ray Guy, P at". Nfl.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  • ^ Adame, Anthony (April 27, 2024). "Highest Drafted Punters in NFL History After Bears Spend 4th-Rounder On Tory Taylor". GiveMeSport. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  • ^ "USM's Ray Guy talks about getting left out of Pro Football Hall of Fame - again (poll) | gulflive.com". Blog.gulflive.com. August 3, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  • ^ [1] Archived August 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  • ^ "Derrick Brooks headlines HOF class". ESPN. February 1, 2014.
  • ^ Holcomb, Todd. "Best player in school history: Region 3-AAAA teams".
  • ^ a b "Ray Guy (2004) – Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  • ^ a b Shook, Nick (November 3, 2022). "Ray Guy, Hall of Fame punter with Raiders, dies at age of 72". NFL.com.
  • ^ a b "Pro Football Hall of Fame punter, USM legend Ray Guy passes away". WLBT.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Huff Gets Spot On Writers 11". Panama City News-Herald. UPI. November 30, 1972. p. 1D. Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • ^ a b Nix, JW (May 30, 2009). "Crazy Canton Cuts = Ray Guy". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "rayguy". Southern Miss. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  • ^ "Camp Honor To Rogers Once Again". The Spokesman-Review. AP. November 29, 1972. p. 20. Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  • ^ "A true game changer — Ray Guy: 1949–2022". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Ray Guy, first Pro Football Hall of Fame punter, dies at 72". KIRO-TV. Associated Press. November 3, 2022.
  • ^ Rickerson, Chris (November 3, 2022). "Thomson native and NFL Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy dies at age 72". The Augusta Press.
  • ^ Axxson, Scooby (November 3, 2022). "Pro Football Hall of Famer punter, Raiders legend Ray Guy dies at 72". USA Today.
  • ^ a b Mosher, Marcus (November 3, 2022). "Former Raiders P Ray Guy passes away at age 72". USA Today.
  • ^ "Why Shane Lechler will have a tougher time reaching Canton than admirers believe". Talk of Fame. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  • ^ "Super Bowl XVIII". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  • ^ "Helium Hangtime Hunch". Eugene Register-Guard. November 14, 1977. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  • ^ "Houston Oilers at Oakland Raiders – November 13th, 1977". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  • ^ "Ray Guy – All-Time Roster". Las Vegas Raiders.
  • ^ a b "ONE-ON-ONE WITH RAY GUY". Pro Football Hall of Fame. July 12, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "CSRA native and NFL punting legend Ray Guy dies at 72". WRDW-TV. November 3, 2022.
  • ^ "Los Angeles Raiders punter Ray Guy, citing an accumulation of injuries in recent years, retired Tuesday after a 14-year NFL career". United Press International. June 2, 1987.
  • ^ "Ray Guy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. August 3, 2014. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • ^ a b "Pro Football Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy dies". WSAZ-TV. November 3, 2022.
  • ^ Lamarre, Tom (November 3, 2022). "Raiders' Royalty: HOF Punter Ray Guy Dies at 72". Sports Illustrated.
  • ^ Tafur, Vic (August 1, 2014). "Ray Guy's long wait ends with his Hall of Fame induction". SFGate.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  • ^ "RayGuy.net". RayGuy.net. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  • ^ Joyner, K.C. (January 24, 2009), "A Case for Ray Guy Belonging in Pro Football Hall of Fame", The New York Times, retrieved March 2, 2009
  • ^ "Ray Guy: "Now the Hall of Fame has a complete team;" Martin Gramatica gets a shoutout". The Kansas City Star. The Associated Press. August 2, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Ray Guy". Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Alphabetical list of inductees". Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame – 2008 Inductees". Bashof.org. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  • ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees By State". National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "Inductees". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ "About". Ray Guy Award. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  • ^ Jones, Conner (July 26, 2005). "Youngsters treasure time at Guy's kicking camp". Hattiesburg American. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • ^ "Ray Guy, widely known as greatest punter of all time, dies at age of 72". the Guardian. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  • ^ Gloster, Rob (August 10, 2011). "Bankrupt Ex-Raiders Punter Ray Guy Auctions Super Bowl Rings for $96,216". Bloomberg.
  • ^ Gay, Chris (August 10, 2011). "Ray Guy's Super Bowl rings sell for $96,000-plus | The Augusta Chronicle". Chronicle.augusta.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  • ^ "Ray Guy's Ring". Natedsanders.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ a b Williams, Alex (November 3, 2022). "Ray Guy, First N.F.L. Punter Named to the Hall of Fame, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  • ^ Schwab, Frank (November 3, 2022). "Raiders Hall of Famer Ray Guy, considered the greatest punter ever, dies at age 72". Yahoo. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_Guy&oldid=1235901291"

    Categories: 
    1949 births
    2022 deaths
    American Conference Pro Bowl players
    American football punters
    College Football Hall of Fame inductees
    Los Angeles Raiders players
    Oakland Raiders players
    People from Swainsboro, Georgia
    Players of American football from Augusta, Georgia
    Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
    Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players
    University of Southern Mississippi alumni
    Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
    Hidden categories: 
    Webarchive template wayback links
    Articles with short description
    Short description matches Wikidata
    Use American English from December 2019
    All Wikipedia articles written in American English
    Use mdy dates from August 2023
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    NFL player missing current team parameter
    Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text
    Articles with ISNI identifiers
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with WorldCat Entities identifiers
    Articles with GND identifiers
    Articles with LCCN identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 21 July 2024, at 20:22 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki