Badgley Named to Groza Award Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Senior Michael Badgley was among those players named to the watch list for the 2017 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award honoring the nation’s top collegiate kicker, as announced Wednesday by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Badgley is the fifth Hurricane to earn preseason accolades; joining senior tight end Christopher Herndon IV (Mackey Award), junior defensive lineman Kendrick Norton (Bednarik Award), sophomore linebacker Shaquille Quarterman (Bednarik Award) and junior running back Mark Walton (Maxwell Award).
Badgley delivered a standout season in 2016, capturing third-team All-ACC honors as a junior after finishing 21 for 26 on field goal attempts for the season. Badgley, who has twice earned a place on the All-ACC team, moved into third place in Miami history in career field goals made (60) and averaged 63.5 yards on kickoffs as the team’s starting specialist.
Badgley set the school record for single-season field goals as a sophomore in 2015, finishing with 25. He is tied for the program record for the longest field goal in history with a 57-yard attempt against Georgia Tech in 2015, and also owns the Miami record for single-game field goals (five), which he has done twice in his career.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thurs., Nov. 2. From this list, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tues., Nov. 21. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thurs., Dec. 7 during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
The 26th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl Committee, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet on Dec. 4.
The award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the “Stars of the Week” throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.
