Punter Fêted: Ray Guy Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Halls of Fame arguments bring out the idiots, and it seems likely that some idiots somewhere have become enraged over the prospect of a guy who "just" punted being "enshrined" in pro football's little tourist trap. As of Saturday, though, that prospect has become grim reality, as former Oakland Raider Ray Guy, who was "just" a punter over his 14 year (1973-1986) career, was inducted, in a grisly ceremony closely based on ancient Masonic rituals involving sheep and the kind of unusually large amounts of blood that reliably amaze passersby. We watched it on ESPN2.

Guy was a multi-talented athlete. In his speech, he mentioned how he could have become a Major League pitcher or played in the NBA. But he chose football and punting:

But somewhere along the line, he realized he needed to focus on one thing: kicking the football. He wanted to dedicate every single thing he could to perfecting his craft. He said that he'd rather be in the background and not the center of attention, something that obviously fits as a punter. You pay attention to the punter for the first couple seconds of every fourth down and that's about it.

Guy said that, with punters getting into the Hall of Fame, it is now a "complete team."

Guy was on solid footing: Mewling aside, punting is part of the game, and he was better at that part of the game than any of his contemporaries. A Pro Bowler every year from 1973 to 1978, and again in 1980, he was a three-time champion, and a three-time All-Pro, regarded by his teammates as a vital player, a "weapon." He was good enough that his coach, John Madden, could alter his own offensive tendencies: He was unafraid to tell his quarterbacks to throw the ball away on third down, "Because the worst thing that could happen was Ray would come in and punt. And that was pretty good. He was the best punter ever." It's no wonder why it was Madden who Guy chose to present him at the induction ceremony. While it's unlikely that his punts really "fell harder and with more force" than his rivals, as that is rarely how gravity works, his career punting average of 42.4 yards speaks for itself. Once, at a Pro Bowl, a punt of his hit the scoreboard, some 90 feet above the earth. He led the league three times in yards per punt, and he was only blocked three times in 1,049 attempts: This is a man whose career had legs.

However, due to the prejudices appertaining unto his position, his candidacy for the Hall was punted many times, and he was denied entry via the usual channels and left to hang for a time. Since 1992, in fact, when he was first a finalist for the Hall. In all, voters dropped the ball seven different times, before the special team known as the seniors committee finally voted him in. Finally, though, this Guy will be able to get a kick out of the Hall.

Chris Collision has never met a punter he didn't like. Follow him on Twitter.