Southern Miss and NFL legend Ray Guy passes away
Southern Miss legend and NFL Hall of Famer Ray Guy passed away on Thursday morning after a lengthy battle with illness, according to the school.
Guy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and is widely considered the greatest punter of all time. He was the first punter to be drafted in the first round when he was taken by the Oakland Raiders.
John Madden, the coach who drafted him, called him “the best punter I’ve ever known.”
He played his entire 14-year career for the Raiders and is the only punter in the Hall of Fame.
Before the NFL, Guy played both defensive back and punter for the Golden Eagles and still holds the school record for interceptions in a season with eight.
The annual award given to the top collegiate punter each year is named after Guy.
On top of his prowess on the gridiron, Guy was also an elite arm for the USM baseball team. He tossed one of the school’s six all-time no-hitters and was drafted on three occasions.
Guy was born in Thomson, Georgia on Sept. 22, 1949. He was 73-years-old.
