What happened to NFL Hall of Famer Ray Guy? Legendary Raiders punter dies at 73
Former Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders punter Ray Guy passed away this morning on November 3rd following a lengthy illness.
Ray Guy, a 3-time Super Bowl champion, 6-time First Team All Pro and the first pure punter inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has passed away at the age of 73.
Guy was considered by many to be the greatest punter of all time. RIP. https://t.co/kDvGzoN1eu
Guy played with the Raiders from 1973-1986 and was the first pure punter drafted in the first round of the draft. The Raiders chose him with the 23rd overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft.
Despite his accomplishments, it took nearly two decades for Guy to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Many believed it took him a while because voters didn’t find punters as important as other positions in football.
He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. He was also inducted into the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Guy saw a lot of success in his 14-year career.
He was a three-time Super-Bowl champion and was selected to six First-Team All-Pros while earning seven Pro-Bowl selections. He made the Second-Team All Pros twice and was part of the 1970s All-Decade team. He was also a member of the NFL 100th and 7th Anniversary All-Time Team.
During his time at the University of Southern Mississippi, Guy hit a game-winning 61-yard field in a snowstorm against Utah. He also had a 93-yard punt vs. the University of Mississippi in 1972.
During the early part of his career with the Raiders, Guy was the emergency quarterback to George Blanda and would sometimes do kickoffs.
Guy had huge respect as a punter in the football world and was recognized for it in 2000. The Greater Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in his honor, the nation’s best college punter award.
Ray Guy’s NFL records
Guy was the first punter in NFL history to be drafted in the first round. In his rookie season, he averaged 45.3 yards per punt, the highest of any season.
Ray Guy holds the record for most posts in the postseason with 111.
He led the NFL in punting averages three times and was second twice while having the longest recorded punt (77 yards) during the 1980 season.
He played in 207 consecutive games, had a streak of 619 consecutive punts without a block, had five punts of more than 60 yards during the 1981 season, had 210 punts inside the 20-yard line, and was regarded as the best punter in football for most of his career.