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The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has been presented since 1992, with Joe Allison of Memphis State receiving the inaugural award. The incumbent award holder is Graham Nicholson of Miami University. The award is part of the National College Football Awards Association coalition.
Louis Roy Groza, nicknamed "the Toe", was an American professional football offensive tackle and placekicker while playing his entire career for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Groza was professional football's career kicking and points leader when he retired after the 1967 season. He played in 21 seasons for the Browns, helping the team to win eight league championships in that span. Groza's accuracy and strength as a kicker influenced the development of place-kicking as a specialty; he could kick field goals from beyond 50 yards (46 m) at a time when attempts from that distance were a rarity. He set numerous records for distance and number of field goals kicked during his career.
Michael Nugent is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he won the Lou Groza Award in 2004, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft, and also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Arizona Cardinals, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago Bears, the Oakland Raiders, and the New England Patriots during his 16-year career.
Rodney Allison is an American former college football player and coach. He is currently the director of the Texas Tech letterman's organization, the Double T Varsity Club.
Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers was an American football player and coach. As a college football player, he led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season in 1952 and later became their head coach. He also coached collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks and UCLA Bruins before leading professional teams in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States Football League (USFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).
Alexis Serna is an American former football placekicker who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2008 to 2010 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, where he won the Lou Groza Award in 2005.
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John Vaughn is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.
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Joshua Norwood Jasper is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL).
Marc Primanti is an American former football placekicker who played college football for NC State Wolfpack. He won the Lou Groza Award and earned consensus All-American honors in 1996.
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Jeremy Shelley is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at Alabama.
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Ira Albright was a gridiron football running back and defensive tackle. After attending South Oak Cliff High School, Albright played college football at Tyler Junior College and for the Northeastern State Riverhawks. In 1983, he played for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL) as a nose guard. The Pittsburgh Maulers converted Albright to a fullback in 1984, thinking he was too small to be effective on the defense. In 1986, Albright played in one regular season game with the Montreal Alouettes.
Richard Adams, known as Dick or Dickie, was a gridiron football defensive back who was drafted and tried out for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL), and later played for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Adams was released at the end of the first week of the Oilers' 1971 training camp before the first preseason game.
Will Reichard is an American professional football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he became the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader.
Mitchell Fineran is an American football placekicker for the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to enrolling at Purdue as a graduate transfer in 2021, he attended and played football at Samford University in the Southern Conference (SoCon) of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Anders Bjorn Carlson is an American professional football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Auburn. As a placekicker, he has been recognized as both a high school and collegiate All-American, as well as an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) First Team and Lou Groza Award semifinalist selection.
References
- ↑ Maher, Tod; Gill, Bob (2013). The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012. Maher Sports Media. p. 144. ISBN 978-0983513667.
- 1 2 3 4 Reed, William F. (October 4, 1993). "Joe Allison". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- 1 2 3 "Joe Allison to be Inducted to Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame". gotigersgo.com. November 16, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Lou Groza Award, Previous Winners. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ↑ Maher, Tod; Gill, Bob (2013). The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012. Maher Sports Media. p. 590. ISBN 978-0983513667.