Is Georgia the Real “Kicker U”?
I was going to post this last year and never did. Now, as of yesterday, I am working the Georgia Kicking Camp next Tuesday June 1st. Dax Langley is running the camp. It will be great to see him.
Ole’ Bill King of Junkyard Blawg fame or infamy depending on who’s posting, was apparently short on material one day. He posed the question that I am sure was on everyone’s mind at the time. Who is the best kicker in Georgia history?
I have no delusions on this one and actually posted a vote. UGA has had it’s share of successful kickers, whether on the college level or in the NFL. But is Georgia the true Kicker U?
I had to know!
Here is my UGA list:
Bobby Etter – Falcons – 1968, 1969
Alan Leavitt -All-America 1976 - Buccaneers – 1978?
Rex Robinson – All American 1979-1980 - Patriots – 1982
Kevin Butler – All American 1983-84 – Bears, Cardinals 1985-1997?
John Kasay – Seahawks, Panthers – 1990-Present – Holy Crap!
Todd Petersen – Giants, Seahawks, Falcons – 1991- 2005?
Billy Bennett – NCAA leader in FG’s (87)
Brandon Coutu – Seahawks – 2008
Blair Walsh – Lou Groza Finalist 2009
Who will be next? We may see him Tuesday.
Any guesses of the other Kicker U? The University of California-Berkeley
Ray Wershing – 49er’s – 1973-1987
Jim Breech- Bengals – 1978-1992
Mick Luckhurst – Falcons – 1981-1987(could have been longer)
Doug Brien – 49ers, Saints, Jets, Bucs, Colts, Bears -1994-2005
Ryan Longwell – Packers, Vikings – 1997-present
That’s a pretty strong group, but a couple of the guys I thought went to UC, Berkeley actually went to other California schools. Frank Corrale went to UCLA. So maybe UGA does out- shine Cal. It has been an amazing run for those who wanted to be a part of a great group of guys at Georgia.
Kickers? Different? Well yeah, you have to be to do what we do. It’s hard to put a finger on what came first. Crazy people being drawn to kick or kicking making them that way. Either way, you have to have a different mindset or you will be cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
As I mentioned earlier, I cast my vote on AJC.com. As much as I love the young guys, Kevin Butler is still the man. But who was the man that made the man, wanna be the man. Hmmm? Yeah, that’s right. lol. If you look, Kevin is still ranked #3 in career field goals and #4 in kick scoring in SEC history, nearly 25 years later!
FWAA All Americans
Drew Butler has won the Ray Guy Award and has been named to several All-American teams already. There should be more to come. The Football Writers Association of America named their team and Drew indeed was honored again. This is a team I actually was fortunate enough to make in 1980, my senior year. Of course, Drew is just a sophomore and may well have other chances to make this team again. Oh yeah, Drew’s dad Kevin made this team also, in 1984. In looking back on that group I was a part of, I am reminded of how many notable names were on that team. Some of the best to ever play the game on the college or pro level, especially on defense.
Check them out.
OFFENSE
QB 9 Mark Hermann Purdue 6-4 190 Sr. Carmel, Ind.
RB 24 Freeman McNeil UCLA 5-11 216 Sr. Carson, Calif.
RB George Rogers South Carolina 6-2 210 Sr. Duluth, Ga. HOF
RB 34 Herschel Walker Georgia 6-2 215 Fr. Wrightsville, Ga. HOF
WR Ken Margerum Stanford 6-1 175 Sr. Fountain Valley, Calif.
WR 80 Dave Young Purdue 6-6 241 Sr. Akron, Ohio
OL 72 Nick Eyre BYU 6-5 276 Sr. Las Vegas, Nev.
OL 73 Mark May Pittsburgh 6-6 282 Sr. Oneonta, N.Y. HOF
OL Louis Oubre Oklahoma 6-4 262 Sr. New Orleans, La.
OL 68 Keith Van Horne USC 6-7 265 Sr. Fullerton, Calif.
C 57 John Scully Notre Dame 6-5 255 Sr. Huntington, N.Y.
DEFENSE
DL 99 Hugh Green Pittsburgh 6-2 224 Sr. Natchez, Miss. HOF
DL 39 E. J. Junior Alabama 6-3 220 Sr. Nashville, Tenn.
DL Derrie Nelson Nebraska 6-2 220 Sr. Fairmont, Neb.
DL 77 Kenneth Sims Texas 6-6 265 Jr. Groesbeck, Texas
DL 90 Hosea Taylor Houston 6-5 265 Sr. Longview, Texas
LB 51 David Little Florida 6-1 228 Sr. Miami, Fla.
LB 63 Mike Singletary Baylor 6-1 232 Sr. Houston, Texas HOF
LB 98 Lawrence Taylor North Carolina 6-3 237 Sr. Williamsburg, Va. NFL HOF
DB 5 Kenny Easley UCLA 6-3 206 Sr. Chesapeake, Va. HOF
DB 42 Ronnie Lott USC 6-2 200 Sr. Rialto, Calif. HOF
DB John Simmons SMU 5-11 188 Little Rock, Ark.
SPECIALISTS
K 5 Rex Robinson Georgia 6-0 215 Sr. Marietta, Ga.
P 3 Rohn Stark Florida State 6-3 195 Jr. Fifty Lakes, Minn.
Coach of the Year ……………………..Vince Dooley, Georgia
Outland Trophy ………………………….Mark May, Pittsburgh
Grantland Rice Trophy………………………..Georgia Bulldogs
Tell me what you really think!