Oct. 29, 2010
University of South Carolina senior punter Spencer Lanning is one of 51 athletes nominated for the 2010 Ray Guy Award, as announced today by the Augusta Sports Council.
Lanning, a 5-11, 192-pounder, from Rock Hill, S.C. (York Comprehensive H.S.), is averaging 44.7 yards per punt this season on 26 kicks with a long of 58 yards. Seven of his 26 kicks have been inside the 20. This is his third season as the Gamecocks’ punter. He has averaged 42.5 yards per punt throughout his Carolina career.
The Ray Guy Award list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists to be named on November 12. Following the semi-finalists announcement, a national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, coaches, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will vote for the top three finalists, who will be identified on November 22. The voting body will then cast ballots to select the winner.
The presentation of the Ray Guy Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit will feature the live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award; The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team. Fans can visit the show’s dedicated Web site at www.espncollegefootballawards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights.
The Greater Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia-native and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national voting body of sports writers, college coaches, sports information directors, and past Ray Guy Award winners. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline, and have a positive impact on the team’s success.
