#44 The first number to be retired in the 78 year history of Southern Miss football was the jersey number #44, last worn by Southern Miss All American Ray Guy. Guy was a standout defensive back and punter from 1970 - 72. He was a first-round selection (23rd overall pick) in the 1973 NFL drafted by the Oakland Raiders. Guy went on to play 13 seasons with the Raiders and is regarded as the finest punter in the history of professional football. |
Quote to Note: "I saw Guy boom a 93-yard punt that actually traveled 115 yards. I saw him kick a 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm. I saw him, playing safety, hit an opponent so hard they had to stop the game to pick the guy's teeth out of the grass. He was an all-state basketball player in high school. He dabbled in baseball at USM and once threw a no-hitter six weeks after knee sugery. Scouts routinely clocked his fastball at nearly 100 miles per hour." |
It was in 1972, Ray Guy's senior year. The ball rested on the USM 7 yard-line when Guy took his place nearly five yards deep in the end zone. What followed was about all you needed to know about Ray Guy's ability to punt a football. He lifted a booming kick high into the sky that turned Ole Miss return man Bill Malouf 180 degress and had him sprinting deep into his own territory. The ball traveled over 80 yards in the air before bouncing into and through the end zone. A retaining wall finally stopped the ball that had traveled more than 120 yards total. On another occasion, during the 1971 homecoming gae against Louisiana Tech, Guy launched consecutive punts of 62, 72, and 77 yards...the first two nullified by penalties. Guy was far more than a punter. Though he never played quarterback at USM, he could throw a football 70 yards and was "on call" if needed. He set a NCAA record (at the time) with a 61-yard field goal against Utah State on a snow-covered field in Logan, Utah in 1972. He also was Southern Mississippi's starting safety and intercepted 18 passes, including a USM record eight as a senior. |
GoldenEagles.net is not affiliated with the University of Southern Mississippi. It was created and registered on the 10th of May 1999 for the personal enjoyment of Southern Miss fans everywhere. |
Ray Guy |
-Rick Cleveland Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS) |
The man whose name graces the annual award given to Division I-A's best punter, is now a college football immortal. Ray Guy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 7, 2003 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Guy, who was named All-American after leading the nation in punting in 1972 with a 46.2-yards-a-punt average, became the first Southern Miss player ever accorded the honor and will become the first punter to enter the Hall in South Bend, Ind. The Swainsboro, Ga., native still holds the NCAA career punting record with a 44.7-yard average for those who punted between 200-249 times in a career. Guy, who played from 1970-72, was the first USM player to ever have his number retired by the school. He still holds school records for longest punt, single-game average, single-season average and career average. "He's only the best kicker who ever lived," former USM coach Curley Hallman once said of Guy. An outstanding defensive back as well, Guy holds USM records for interceptions in a season (8) and is second on the career list with 18. |
"The Kick" |
