Post by TheShadow on Apr 3, 2009 4:44:11 GMT -5
www.pnj.com
Ray Guy was preparing his speech for tonight's address at the Pensacola Sports Association awards dinner.
But he might not even use it.
"I might be like John Wayne ... just shoot from the hip,'' he said, laughing.
A great kicker, after all, can't fret over pressure.
Forty years after graduating from Thomson (Ga.) High School, then becoming the greatest punter in pro football history, Guy has kept the same outlook on life.
"I love meeting people,'' he said. "I enjoy talking with people. I am who I am. I'm still a small-town country boy and I like to talk with folks.''
He'll be a natural tonight at New World Landing.
All the fame Guy has earned hasn't changed the down-home friendliness.
A wealth of awards
He remains the only punter in NFL history drafted in the first round. He won three Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders. He played under John Madden. His leg strength changed games. He was named on seven NFL All-Pro teams. When he retired in 1986, he had 619 consecutive punts without one getting blocked.
He's in the College Football Hall of Fame. The collegiate punter of the year receives the Ray Guy Award. His standard will likely never be matched.
"My career was like a ladder, every year I tried to take another step up,'' he said. "But I never tried to outdo something I previously did.''
Passion for the game
One of the most important traits about Guy, something he tries to stress to the young players he mentors at kicking camps, is keeping a youthful passion for football. The same love of the game he had as a kid in his backyard.
"If it's not that way for you,'' he said. "then you shouldn't be playing the game.
"I never looked at it any different. The game to me was the same and it was just as fun as it was when I was in shorts and T-shirt playing in my backyard.''
Guy, 59, fell in love with Hattiesburg, Miss., when he played at the University of Southern Mississippi. The sense of community, the friendly people, enticed him to return after his playing days.
He is now the special projects manager for the university's 100-year celebration, which officially occurs in March 2010.
Guy also influences kickers like Pensacola's Graham Gano, the Florida State star and Tate High graduate, who won the Lou Groza Award in December as the nation's best kicker.
"He understands what's happening (as a kicker),'' Guy said. "You can have all the ability in the world, but you have to understand what's happening around you. He gets it.''
It's the same way Guy has understood important values in life.
Ray Guy was preparing his speech for tonight's address at the Pensacola Sports Association awards dinner.
But he might not even use it.
"I might be like John Wayne ... just shoot from the hip,'' he said, laughing.
A great kicker, after all, can't fret over pressure.
Forty years after graduating from Thomson (Ga.) High School, then becoming the greatest punter in pro football history, Guy has kept the same outlook on life.
"I love meeting people,'' he said. "I enjoy talking with people. I am who I am. I'm still a small-town country boy and I like to talk with folks.''
He'll be a natural tonight at New World Landing.
All the fame Guy has earned hasn't changed the down-home friendliness.
A wealth of awards
He remains the only punter in NFL history drafted in the first round. He won three Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders. He played under John Madden. His leg strength changed games. He was named on seven NFL All-Pro teams. When he retired in 1986, he had 619 consecutive punts without one getting blocked.
He's in the College Football Hall of Fame. The collegiate punter of the year receives the Ray Guy Award. His standard will likely never be matched.
"My career was like a ladder, every year I tried to take another step up,'' he said. "But I never tried to outdo something I previously did.''
Passion for the game
One of the most important traits about Guy, something he tries to stress to the young players he mentors at kicking camps, is keeping a youthful passion for football. The same love of the game he had as a kid in his backyard.
"If it's not that way for you,'' he said. "then you shouldn't be playing the game.
"I never looked at it any different. The game to me was the same and it was just as fun as it was when I was in shorts and T-shirt playing in my backyard.''
Guy, 59, fell in love with Hattiesburg, Miss., when he played at the University of Southern Mississippi. The sense of community, the friendly people, enticed him to return after his playing days.
He is now the special projects manager for the university's 100-year celebration, which officially occurs in March 2010.
Guy also influences kickers like Pensacola's Graham Gano, the Florida State star and Tate High graduate, who won the Lou Groza Award in December as the nation's best kicker.
"He understands what's happening (as a kicker),'' Guy said. "You can have all the ability in the world, but you have to understand what's happening around you. He gets it.''
It's the same way Guy has understood important values in life.