I was pretty wistful when I saw Ray Guy had passed away last night. Dude was a big hometown hero to me as a young fella growing up in Thomson Georgia. He was our quarterback while playing for our high school team. I was in 1st grade when he achieved local fame. He was almost as much a hero to me at that time as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Few football players make such an impact that an annual award is named after them, especially when they're not a quarterback or wide receiver. Ray Guy was something else. RIP hometown hero.
Side note, Thomson Georgia also gave football Chris Mohr. His dad was one of my science teachers and a really cool guy. Chris was also a famous punter for Alabama and went on to play in the NFL. He was in at least one Super Bowl. I never personally met Chris as he was a few years behind me in grade school, but my first job was flipping burgers at the local McDonald's and his older sister worked there when I did. You might wonder why a small town like Thomson is famous for kickers. It's probably because of the annual McDuffie County Fair ass kicking contest. Sure it's only once a year but you gotta train year round if you want to make the main event.
Ray was the man. The only two punters that are legends are him and Reggie Roby. I still recall the back of his football card that said one of his punts hit the screen at the Superdome.
