Ray Guy
6'3" 195
Punter
Oakland Raiders
1973 - 1986 (14 Seasons)
207 Games Played
1049 Punts
44,493 Yards
42.4 Yard Average Per Punt
7 Pro Bowls
William Ray Guy was a first round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 1973 draft. He was the 23rd player picked overall.
Ray attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi. There, he set school records in placekicking, punting and as a defensive back.
He finished with a career punting average of 44.7 yards a kick, which is the highest average in NCAA history for punters with 200-249 attempts in their careers.
Guy was the NCAA punting champion in 1972 with a 46.2 average. He averaged 45.3 and 42.9 in his other seasons.
Guy's 8 interception in one season is still a Golden Eagles record. Guy is second All Time in school history with 18 career interceptions. His 268 interception return yardage is currently the third most in school history.
Guy also set a then NCAA record when he kicked a 61 yard field goal, and still ranks fourth in school history in the most field goals made in a career.
In 1972, he was a member of The Sporting News, Football Writers Association, Walter Camp, Gridiron, Football News, Playboy and Associated Press All-America teams as a Safety and Punter.
Guy was named Most Valuable Player of the 1972 College All-Star game, in which college all-stars played the current Super Bowl champion.
Ray was also outstanding in baseball. He struck out 266 players in 220.2 innings, and threw 14 complete games in 31 total games in his career. He was drafted by Major League Baseball for 3 straight years.
Ray Guy is the first Golden Eagle to ever play in the NFL. He is also the first player to have his jersey retired in school history.
Guy is not only a member of Southern Mississippi's All Century Team, but he is also a member of the schools Hall of Fame, the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Guy is also the first punter to ever be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Ray Guy is considered the greatest Punter to have ever played college football, and has a trophy named after him. The Ray Guy Award is given annually to the best collegiate punter in the nation.
Ray Guy is the first punter to ever be drafted in the first round by the NFL. His impact was immediate. He was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, when he averaged 45.3 yards per punt.
Guy would be named the Pro Bowl Punter every year up until 1978. At the 1976 Pro Bowl, Ray Guy became the first punter to hit the Louisiana Superdome video screen.
In 1979, he was named to the UPI All Conference Second Team, and the Newspaper Ent. Association All-NFL Second Team. He was named to his final Pro Bowl in 1980 after averaging 43.6 yards per punt. He also booted a career long punt of 77 yards that year.
For some unknown reason, he was not named to the 1981 Pro Bowl, despite punting a career high 96 times and having a 43.7 average. He was named to the UPI All Conference Second Team.
Guy booted the ball over 70 yards in four of his seasons, and kicked five over 60 yards in one season alone. His shortest season long was 57, in the strike shortened 1982 season.
That season also was the only season of his career when he did not average over 40 yards per punt, finishing with a 39.1 average. Guy ended the last three years of his career averaging 90 punts per season, when he retired after the 1986 season.
Ray Guy did more than just punt for the Raiders. He threw 3 career passes, completing 2 for 54 yards. His first career pass was intercepted. Guy also rushed for 43 yards on 11 attempts. In 1976, Guy was asked to kick an extra point, but missed.
Ray only had 3 punts blocked in his entire career, and never had a punt returned for a touchdown. He led the NFL in punting three times also. He also kicked off for aging kicker George Blanda, a Hall of Famer.
Ray Guy was an integral part of the Raiders. He also was on 3 Super Bowl winning teams in Oakland during his career. The highlight of his Super Bowls was in 1983. His punt in Super Bowl XVIII pinned Washington





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