RIP Ray Guy

An odd question - given the number of aussie type punters who made their way to college campuses in recent years, none I can think of have made it to the NFL.

 

Jerrell Wilson, too, for the Chiefs. Besides the fact that he wore No. 44 ... he was consistently one of the top punters in the 1970s.

 

As someone who dabbled in punting in high school a long time ago I have to say I don't like the new end-over-end kicks and other modern punting techniques. They may be more effective but hitting a spiraled punt, which is damn hard to do consistently, is a highly satisfying experience.

 

Like Guy, played at Southern Miss.

 

Looks like the Ray Guy award went to Aussies for several years on the run, but that the Aussies who have actually made the NFL were AFL players.

As a rugby enthusiast, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of players switching codes.

 

Michael Dickson of the Seahawks.

 

Add Danny White to the list as well.

I know Dan Pastorini playd QB and punted while at Santa Clara, but don't believe he ever did in the NFL.

 

Pastoring punted for five years and once missed an extra point.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PastDa00.htm

 

Ray Guy was a hell of a college baseball player, too. He was drafted four times, twice in the third round.
Longtime Mississippi sports writer Rick Cleveland on the legend of Ray Guy:

https://mississippitoday.org/2022/11/03/ray-guy-best-athlete-mississippi/

 

I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing Yards when I was a kid on various football and school fields and in just plain old parks. Always a ton of fun. We used a CFL ball, of course, and it’s easier to kick a spiral than with an NFL ball probably bc of the slightly larger girth and it seemed easier to hit it just slightly off center which is a key to making it spiral. I went to Buffalo in 1971 and bought an NFL ball, Pete Rozelle signed and everything, but could never kick it as well as the CFL ball. Loved throwing but not kicking it.

 

There has to be a better way to rate a punter than gross and net yardage. There probably is, but I’m not seeing it referenced here.

Guy was a good enough athlete to be considered to play safety in the NFL and an emergency QB. Those are two very valuable skills to have when you are one of 11 on a field. If he was good enough for Madden, he’s good enough for me.

 

Ray Guy is a great example of how we somehow just have to go by what we see. You can crunch all the numbers you want but if you watched Guy punt, you know he was just different. Better. And it wasn't close.