Nov. 9, 2009
Senior K Hunter Lawrence has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2009 Lou Groza Award, honoring the nation’s top place-kicker, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission has announced.
In 2009, Lawrence is 16-of-19 on field goal attempts, including 5-of-7 on attempts of 40 yards or more with one of the misses coming on a 54-yard attempt that hit the crossbar. His 84.2-percent accuracy on field goals ranks third on UT’s single-season list (min. 10 attempts).
Lawrence has made 41-of-42 PATs with the only miss coming on his second attempt against UTEP halting his streak of made PATs at 76, which ranks second on UT’s all-time list. Lawrence’s 9.9 points per game (89 total points) rank ninth nationally, second among kickers, and first overall in the Big 12. His 1.8 made field goals per game (16 total) are tied for seventh nationally and second in the Big 12.
For his career, Lawrence is 26-of-31 on FG attempts. His .839 percentage ranks first on UT’s field-goal accuracy list (min. 25 attempts). He also has converted 101-of-102 PATs to score 179 career points.
Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, along with national, regional and local football writers and others will select the three finalists. These finalists will be honored at the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 8 in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The winner will be announced live on the nationally televised Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on the evening of December 10, 2009.
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 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. The 1,608 career points he scored is still a Browns franchise record, and he ranks third all-time in league. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
