Joe Horrigan, the historian of the Pro Football Hall of Fame once said: "He's the first punter you could look at and say: 'He won games.'". Art Shell, LT: With Jim Otto at center and Upshaw inserted at left guard a year earlier, the Raiders solidified the left side of their offensive line by selecting Shell out of little-known Maryland-Eastern Shore in the third round, No. More than six years after Long retired, and on the weekend he was selected for the Hall of Fame in 2000, Davis tried to get Long to come out of retirement. But wasn't Al Davis using a first-round draft pick, No. Guy also played quarterback in his early years and was officially the Oakland Raiders' last-string emergency quarterback, ironically replacing kicker-quarterback George Blanda in this position. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. During the time that Blanda was still with the Raiders, early in Guy's career, Guy would occasionally do kickoffs for the Raiders because the aging Blanda no longer had great range. In 2007, the camp was once again held on the campus of Colorado College. At the 1976 Pro Bowl, Guy became the first punter to hit the Louisiana Superdome video screen. But after sticking in Oakland in 1970, Stabler became the NFL MVP in 1974 and led the team to the Super Bowl XI championship. Ray Guy retired in 1986. Officials raised the screen from 90 feet to 100 feet. These additional picks are provided when a team loses a particularly valuable free agent in the previous off-season, or, more recently, if a team fails to sign a draft pick from the previous year. He was also an outstanding placekicker at Southern Mississippi, once kicking a then-record 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm during a game in Utah. William Ray Guy (born December 22, 1949) is a retired American football punter for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. [8] “Our giant,” as the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Shell was called by Davis, protected the blind sides of Daryle Lamonica and George Blanda before watching over the left-handed Ken Stabler's front side and then Jim Plunkett's back. With the 2020 NFL Draft taking place this Thursday through Saturday, take a look back at the top 10 draft picks in Raiders history. Former Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders players, https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/Ray_Guy?oldid=68047, *7× Pro Bowl selection (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980), 6× First-team All-Pro selection (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978), 2× Second-team All-Pro Selection (1979, 1980), Punted 1,049 times for 44,493 yards, averaging 42.4 yards per punt, with a 33.8 net yards average, Had 210 punts inside the 20 yard line (not counting his first 3 seasons, when the NFL did not keep track of this stat), with just 128 touchbacks, Had a streak of 619 consecutive punts before having one blocked, Has a record of 111 career punts in post season games, Had five punts of over 60 yards during the 1981 season, Never had a punt returned for a touchdown. With so many homegrown players who ended up in the Hall of Fame, picking punter Ray Guy as the best Raiders draft pick was a tough call. But when he was away, Davis pulled Upshaw's card. After an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, a Super Bowl XVIII MVP trophy and a 1985 NFL MVP Award, Allen was on his way to Canton. 48 overall in 1982 out of Villanova). Guy was a key member of three Super Bowl-winning Raiders teams: Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII. Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright, Celebrities Interesting Facts By Nationality, Celebrities Interesting Facts By Profession. And of those three, only one is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Guy. Howie Long, DL: How much of an impact did Long make on Davis? During his career, Guy: Ray Guy was selected to seven AFC Pro Bowl teams, and in 1994, he was named the punter on the National Football League's 75th Anniversary Team. When the Raiders offense faltered just outside the range of placekicker Chris Bahr, Guy, known for his power, showed a great deal of finesse by booting a 27-yard punt that pinned the Redskins on their own 12-yard line late in the first half. A formula was needed to select the Oakland Raiders' best-ever draft pick, one that included titles and risk-reward. Career Stats for P Ray Guy. Why Guy is best draft pick in Raiders history: Calm down, calm down. YEAR TEAM G PUNTS YDS LNG AVG BLK RET RETY IN 20 NET AVG; 1973 Oakland Raiders 80 overall, in 1968. The Raiders would eventually win 38-9. Put away your torches and pitchforks and hear me out, would ya? Allen referred to him as, “one of the toughest white guys I've ever seen in my life.” Eighty-four career sacks, two interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries in 179 games will have that effect. Marcus Allen, RB: Half of the Raiders' draft room in 1982 wanted a running back from Richmond, a big body by the name of Barry Redden. So that's how punter Ray Guy edged out the likes of Art Shell, Ken Stabler, Howie Long and Marcus Allen. Shell, who went into the Hall of Fame in 1989, was also the first African-American head coach in modern NFL history, though his second tenure with the Raiders was less than memorable. Not bad for an undervalued second-round pick (No. Coming from University of Southern Mississippi, he was the only pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft when the Oakland Raiders selected him in 1973. [1] In 1994, he was the first pure punter to be nominated for enshrinement. We would like to express to you our deepest thanks for your contribution. Ray Guy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Yeah, I know selecting a punter as the best draft pick in franchise history is, well, unconventional. Saner heads prevailed; Allen went 10th overall. 4 in MMQB's all-time draft. Much-maligned Broncos tackle Garett Bolles is ... good now? Ray Guy has been inducted into both the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame, and many feel he is worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gene Upshaw, LG: Ron Wolf thought he won over Davis with the notion of drafting Arkansas halfback Harry Jones with the 17th overall pick of the 1967 draft, so he took Davis' advice to go into a hallway to call Jones on the phone. Guy was a key member of three Super Bowl-winning Raiders teams: Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII. In 2005, Ray Guy helped organize and participated in two-day kicking camps, held throughout the United States, for high-school punters, placekickers, and longsnappers. He passed away from cancer last July and will be enshrined in Canton this summer. He has help from son Ryan Guy. After his senior season at Southern Miss, Guy was named Most Valuable Player of the annual College All-Star game, in which an all-star team of college seniors played the current Super Bowl champion. Stabler, Oakland's second-round pick in 1968 out of Alabama, No. Ray Guy was the first, and only, punter to ever be selected in the first round in the NFL Draft as of 2010. Ray Guy was known for punts with a high hang time; he once punted the ball with so much hang time that the opponents pulled the ball and had it tested for helium. Guy was a unanimous All-American selection in 1972 as a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi, and was the first pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, when the Oakland Raiders selected him with the 23rd overall pick in 1973.