Ray Guy, widely known as greatest punter of all time, dies at age of 72

Ray Guy, widely considered the greatest punter in history, has died at the age of 72.

“The Southern Miss family mourns today following the passing of Golden Eagle great Ray Guy, who died Thursday morning following a lengthy illness,” his alma mater said in a statement on the university’s website.

In 2014, Guy became the first – and so far only – specialist punter to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He was also the first punter ever to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

“When we first drafted him, it was a heck of a choice. I thought then he could be the greatest in the league, but I changed my mind. I think Ray proved he’s the best of all time,” said the late Raiders coach John Madden of the team’s decision to draft Guy in 1973.

Guy’s all-round athleticism was legendary. He also played as a defensive back in college, setting a Southern Miss record one season with eight interceptions, and he was drafted as a pitcher on four occasions by Major League baseball teams. During his college career he was said to have once punted the ball 93 yards and threw a softball 337 feet in an intramural game.

Ray Guy in 1980 during his career with the Raiders. Photograph: Focus On Sport/Getty Images

In the NFL, he was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and won three Super Bowls with the Raiders. He led the league in punting average three times, finished second on three other occasions and was a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

“I was a good athlete and could have been a Major League pitcher or an NBA basketball player, but I knew God had something special for me,” Guy said during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “And eventually one sport would stand out beyond the rest, and it did. Playing in the NFL with the Raiders was my destiny, and I never looked back or questioned my decision.”

Guy was a finalist for induction into the Hall of Fame seven times, starting in 1992, without being voted in and didn’t even make it that far on other occasions.

“That kind of bothered me because they were saying that’s not a position, it doesn’t take an athlete to do that, it’s not important,” Guy said before his Hall of Fame induction in 2014. “That’s what really got under my skin. It wasn’t so much whether I did or didn’t. I wish somebody had. It was just knowing that they didn’t care. That’s what kind of frosted me a little bit.”

Guy in many ways revolutionized the position. His kicks went so high that one that hit the Superdome scoreboard 90 feet above the field in a Pro Bowl helped put “hang time” into the football vernacular. His ability to pin the opponent deep with either high kicks or well-positioned ones was a key part of the success for the great Raiders teams of the 1970s and 80s.

“It was something that was given to me. I don’t know how,” he said. “I’m really blessed in that category. It’s something I really appreciate and I advanced it and I made it into something great.”

Guy had two children with his ex-wife, Beverly.