Badgley Named Lou Groza Semifinalist
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami sophomore Michael Badgley is one of 20 semifinalists for the 2015 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced the 20 semifinalists today.
Badgley, who hails from Summit, N.J., has connected on 17 of his 20 field goal attempts and is a perfect 25-of-25 in extra points. Five of Badgley’s 17 field goals made have come from in-between 40-49 yards, including his career best 49-yarder, which he drilled against Virginia Tech.
Among the 20 semifinalists, Badgley’s five field goals made from 40-49 yards are tied with Utah’s Andy Phillips for the most field goals made from that distance. Badgley’s 17 field goals made are also tied with Boise State’s Tyer Rausa and Idaho’s Austin Rehkow as the most field goals made among the semifinalists.
In addition, Badgley leads the ACC and ranks 10th in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game. In a Sept. 19 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Badgley drilled a career-high and tied a school record with five field goals made (41, 27, 23, 28 and 28). His final field goal against Nebraska served as the game-winner.
Semifinalists will be voted on by FBS Head Coaches and SIDs, a panel of kicking experts including all previous Groza finalists, and national and regional football writers to select the three finalists.
These finalists will be announced on November 24th and honored at the 24th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 7th in West Palm Beach, Florida. The winner will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 10th.
The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in football history, Lou Groza. Groza played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 20 finalists, including 11 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning eight trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home five Super Bowls. That list includes current NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Mason Crosby, Kai Forbath, Graham Gano, Dustin Hopkins, Sebastian Janikowski, Mike Nugent, Cairo Santos, Caleb Sturgis, and Blair Walsh.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please visit LouGrozaAward.com, or follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter for updates as they happen. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Kris Pursell, Director of Event Operations at the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-3124 or kpursell@palmbeachsports.com.
