Sievers On Groza Award Preseason Watch List
Aug. 3, 2002
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – – University of Miami senior placekicker Todd Sievers (Ankeny, Iowa) joins two former winners, two former finalists, and a member of the defending National Champions on the 2002 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Preseason Watch List.
The Watch List is comprised of the top 30 preliminary candidates for the 11th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl. The award will be given out during a ceremony on Tuesday, December 10, at the Sheraton West Palm Beach Hotel at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Sievers already has solidified his place among the greatest placekickers in Miami’s storied history. He ranks sixth on the Miami career list for field goals made with 32 and ranks eighth on the all-time Miami career scoring list with 204 points (a total that also ranks sixth on the Miami career list for kicking points). In 2001, Sievers earned First-Team All-America recognition by CNNSI.com, was named First-Team All-BIG EAST by the league’s head coaches and earned Second-Team All-America honors by Associated Press and The Sporting News.
He led the nation and the BIG EAST Conference in field goals made per game (1.91 avg.), was named BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week twice (Sept. 3 vs. Penn State, Nov. 12 vs. Boston College) and led the BIG EAST and ranked fourth in the nation in scoring (10.82 ppg). One of the nation’s most athletic placekickers, Sievers set new Miami single-season records for scoring with 119 kicked points in 2001 and was the difference in Miami’s two closest games of the season, making four field goals against both Boston College and Virginia Tech. He made 21-of-26 field goals last season , tying the school record of field goals made set in 1988 by Carlos Huerta.
Among those kickers named to the Lou Groza Award Watch List are last year’s Lou Groza Award winner, Seth Marler of Tulane, and 2000 Groza winner, Jonathan Ruffin of Cincinnati. Auburn’s Damon Duval and Alex Walls of Tennessee both are past finalists who are also on the list. A brief biography of each player on the Lou Groza Award Watch List can be found at www.palmbeachsports.com/Groza.
The kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List were chosen based on statistics from the 2001 season and on preseason expectations. However, all Division I-A kickers are eligible for consideration for the award.
A panel of over 300 people made up of Division I-A head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters, conference representatives, professional kickers, and all previous Groza Award finalists votes upon the award.
The 20 semi-finalists for the Lou Groza Award will be announced on November 4, followed two weeks later by the naming of the three Lou Groza Award finalists on November 18.
2002 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Preseason Watch ListName School ClassJohn Anderson Washington Sr.Asen Asparuhov Fresno State Sr.Justin Ayat Hawaii Soph.Steve Azar Northern Illinois Jr.Johnny Beck Kansas Soph.Xavier Beitia Florida State Soph.Billy Bennett Georgia Jr.Peter Christofilakos Illinois Sr.David Davis Southern California Sr.Drew Dunning Washington State Jr.Damon Duval Auburn Sr.Damon Fine Nevada Jr.Curtis Head Marshall Sr.Adam Kiker North Carolina State Jr.Luke Manget Georgia Tech Sr.Dusty Mangum Texas Soph.Seth Marler Tulane Sr.Kevin Miller East Carolina Sr.Nick Novak Maryland Soph.Matt Payne Brigham Young Soph.Luke Phillips Oklahoma State Jr.Jonathan Ruffin Cincinnati Sr.Josh Scobee Louisiana Tech Jr.Nicholas Setta Notre Dame Sr.Todd Sievers Miami Sr.Nate Smith Louisville Jr.Robert Treece Texas Tech Sr.Alex Walls Tennessee Sr.J.D. Wallum Wyoming Sr.Daniel Weaver South Carolina Jr.
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