Eight Days Out - A Look Back at No. 8

Widely considered the best punter in the history of the sport, Ray Guy finally earned his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, making him the first pure punter ever elected into the Hall. “It took me a long time to believe that one, I’ll tell you what,” said Guy when talking about receiving the call alerting him of his induction. “Even though I had made it and got the call, and they told me I was in the Class of ’14, it still took me a few months to really soak in. Now it’s here. I have the gold jacket now and I’ll soon have the Hall of Fame ring so the outfit will be complete.” Drafted in the first round (No. 23 overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft, the Southern Mississippi product not only redefined the position, but also became a key part of three Super Bowl teams for the Silver and Black during his Hall of Fame career.“I hope I inspire young punters to achieve their dreams to one day play in the NFL and maybe even be elected into the Hall of Fame,” Guy said during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. “It’s been long, long overdue, but now the Hall of Fame has a complete team.”During his 14-year career as a Raider, Guy never missed a game, playing in 207 straight contests and punting 1,049 times for 44,493 yards (42.4 avg.) with 128 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Even more impressively, of his over 1,000 career punts just three were blocked – a testament to Guy’s athletic ability on the football field. His induction to Canton in 2014 was the crowning achievement of a stellar career that saw Guy named to seven Pro Bowls, as well as being named a six-time First-Team All-Pro and the punter for the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. Guy’s individual career stands alone as one of the most impressive special teams careers in football, and the impact of his accomplishments still resonate with current punters in today’s NFL.