Hunt Semifinalist for Lou Groza Award

Nov. 6, 2002

Clemson placekicker Aaron Hunt has been named as one of the 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, the honor presented to the top placekicker in college football.

The award will be presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl in a ceremony on Tuesday, December 10, at the Sheraton West Palm Beach Hotel at City Place in West Palm Beach, FL. The award is named in the honor of Lou Groza, who revolutionized the kicking position by creating the idea that a player could be exclusively used as a kicker. He played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns with whom he won four NFL championships and the NFL Player of the Year award in 1954.

Hunt has made 11 of 14 field goals, and 27 of 27 on extra points so far this season, and is now 31-42 on field goals and 116-120 on extra points for his Clemson career. He is currently 22nd in the nation in field goals per game and is 43rd in scoring this year.

Hunt, now Clemson’s career leader in extra points, is seventh in school history in scoring with 209 points. Last week he kicked a 21-yard field goal with eight seconds left to beat Duke, 34-31. It marked the second time in his career that he has won a game with a field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining.

The 20 Lou Groza Award semifinalists for 2002 are: Joey Ashcroft of the Air Force Academy Asen Asparuhov of Fresno State University Xavier Beitia of Florida State University Dustin Bell of the University of Houston Billy Bennett of the University of Georgia Nick Browne of Texas Christian University Santiago Gramatica of the University of South Florida Nick Hayes of the University of Alabama-Birmingham Curtis Head of Marshall University Aaron Hunt of Clemson University Mark Jensen of the University of California Nate Kaeding of the University of Iowa Dane Kidman of Utah State University Kevin Miller of East Carolina University Nick Novak of the University of Maryland Mike Nugent of Ohio State University Dan Nystrom of the University of Minnesota Jared Parseghian of Miami University Jared Siegel of the University of Oregon Shaun Suisham of Bowling Green State University