Ray Guy for Hall of Fame 2011

Selection Committee Passes Over Guy......Again....

2011-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of times that the Hall of Fame Selection Committee can pass over Ray Guy. It was announced this morning that he was not one of the finalists for the top 15. I look forward to continuing a push for Guy in 2012 and I will not stop making a case for him until his bust is in Canton.

Having said this, I would like to congratulate the 15 finalists that made it. The finalists are:

Jerome Bettis– Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins

Dermontti Dawson– Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles

Chris Doleman– Defensive End/Linebacker – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers

Marshall Faulk – Running Back – 1994-98 Indianapolis Colts, 1999-2005 St. Louis Rams

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

*Chris Hanburger– Linebacker – 1965-1978 Washington Redskins

Cortez Kennedy– Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

Curtis Martin – Running Back – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets

Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

*Les Richter – Linebacker – 1954-1962 Los Angeles Rams

Willie Roaf– Tackle – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs

Ed Sabol– Founder/President/Chairman – 1964-1995 NFL Films

Deion Sanders – Cornerback/Kick Returner/Punt Returner – 1989-1993 Atlanta Falcons, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-99 Dallas Cowboys, 2000 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 Baltimore Ravens

Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens

Hall of Fame Cuts...

2011-01-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

I have received word that the NFL Hall of Fame Selection Committee will announce the next set of cuts tomorrow on Sunday (January 9th). If Ray Guy makes it to the final 15, then he will only have to survive one last cut. The NFL Network will have a one-hour special revealing the newest enshrinees on February 5th, at 7 P.M (ET). I remain optimistic to Guy and his chances!

Ray Guy for Hall of Fame 2011!

Thank You Tom Lorenzo...

2010-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank Tom Lorenzo and the attention he gave my petition in his latest article about Franco Harris and his belief that Ray Guy deserves serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.

Here is the link to this fantastic article: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/08/franco-harris-believes-ray-guy-deserves-hall-of-fame-considerati/

Thank you Franco for being a supporter!!

Guy Among 2011 Semi-Finalists...

2010-12-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

Ray Guy has once again made the list of 26 semi-finalists for the 2011 Hall of Fame class. I plan on keeping contact with some of the selection committee members regarding Guy's induction and I also plan on continuing this campaign to help raise awareness to Guy and his accomplishments in his 14-year NFL career.

The Hall will reduce the 26 semi-finalists to 15 some time in January (the Hall has yet to confirm the exact date of when they will do so).

Please support me in the push to make Ray Guy the first pure punter in the Hall!

The Fans Have Spoken...

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Ray Guy is now ranked 2nd, only behind Jerry Rice in the Van Heusen sponsored "Voice Your Choice" campaign! Thanks to all that have voted!! Being in second place behind Rice is impressive enough, gaining ground on him (even possibly overtaking first) is even more incredible! Please continue to vote for guy, sign the petition, join the "Ray Guy for Hall of Fame" Facebook group, and be sure to encourage others to do so as well. Let's make a strong push down the stretch for Guy and make this known to the Selection Committee as we near the 2010 Hall of Fame class.

Ray Guy Makes Top 25...

2009-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

I am delighted to say that Ray Guy has survived the first of three eliminations! He is accompanied by 24 other NFL legends, and it will be a dogfight til the end. I will be looking forward to seeing who makes the second cut that will take place on January 7th, 2010 (this will be a jump from 25 to 15). However the list increases by two when you take into account the Senior Nominees of Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little. Be sure to keep the votes going on Voice Your Choice, send e-mails to the committee, write letters and let the Selection Committee know who we want enshrined come 2010!

Semifinalists to be announced Saturday...

2009-11-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. The semifinalists for the class of 2010 will be announced on the NFL Network on Saturday. Be sure to watch "Road to Canton" at 1 P.M. I know I will be praying to hear Guy's name being said on the upcoming list and eventually on the final ballot! It has been exciting to see the votes pour in to the "Voice Your Choice" sponsored by "Van Heusen" regarding whom the fans would like to see get inducted into the upcoming class. Here is how the top 3 currently looks:

1. Jerry Rice - 19,791 votes
2. Emmit Smith - 16,832 votes
3. Ray Guy - 12,343

I have been absolutely ecstatic to see the fans of all teams place Ray Guy behind the greatest wide receiver to ever grace a football field as well as arguably the greatest running back! Not too shabby! It's great to see others share in the enthusiasm to get Guy in the Hall and I will be looking forward to the announcements on Saturday. Only time will tell!

Vote for Guy!

2009-09-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I hope you are all enjoying the new football season! How can you not, right? The Hall of Fame website is currently having a, "fan's choice", a sort of way to be heard if you will, about whom you would like to see inducted into the Hall this upcoming year. I certainly hope you will take the time to vote for Ray Guy...daily too!! Be sure to send it around!! Before I give you the link, I am proud to report that the petition has now reached over 800 signatures, and the, "Ray Guy for Hall of Fame" Facebook group now has over 600 members! This is exciting news!! It may not seem like a lot, but compared to the 44 members of the Selection Committee, it's quite an overwhelming majority. I am very happy that people have been leaving comments on the petition, and I encourage people to continue to sign, send in letters, e-mails and even make their own youtube videos (which you can ALSO do on the website!) supporting Guy. As we go down the homestretch it is VERY important to voice our opinions, and stand up for Ray. I am willing to do anything to get him into the Hall, and I know you are all passionate about it too. It's time to show what this campaign can bring! http://www.fanschoice.com/vote.aspx

It's the Final Countdown...

2009-09-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. NFL football is right around the corner and I am ecstatic to watch it again! I apologize for not updating this blog in a while, but I have started my freshman year at Berry College and have not found the time to update it as much as I would have liked. However, I am continually planning on new ways to advertise and spread the word about the campaign. My newest plan consists of a Ray Guy highlight video at one of the Oakland Raiders home games, and have the petition link on the video as well. It would be great for Raider Nation to see, and hopefully spark much enthusiasm amongst not only the Raiders fans, but for the NFL fans in general. I am trying to contact Raiders stadium officials, and hopefully this will all pan out. I will be sure to update progress being made. Thank you so much for you're patience, and be sure to contact me with any ideas that you may have, information, etc.

E-mail - fieldgoalking2003@yahoo.com

Cell: 678-836-5050

Comments...

2009-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I love it when people not only sign the petition, but leave comments on some of the memories they remember having of Ray Guy. This one is from Gary Beesley: Ray was also a backup QB at times and the man could tackle. The Raiders would have preferred him to "run away from the ball carrier" - like most punters do after a punt - but Ray Guy went for the tackle. It is still mind boggling to me that the morons who vote on the HOF disregard the best player at his position. Ever heard of field position? The Raiders often gained 20 to 40 yards after a few punt exchanges. If punter isn't a legit position, then why not just stick a linebacker there to do it? I couldn't have said it any better myself Gary!

700 Signatures!!

2009-08-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled that this petition has now reached 700 signatures!! I hope as the months go on it becomes even bigger than that! I would love to be in the thousands even. We would need a LOT of signatures though, so that would be a long way to go, but we can do it. Thank you to everyone who took the time to sign and comment on the petition.

Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2009...

2009-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

It was great to see some of the NFL's finest inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight. There was not a single man that wasn't worthy of that great honor, and they will make great additions to the Hall. It is always great to see the men give their speeches and to listen to the crowds reaction as the men take to the podium. I couldn't even imagine the feeling; to know that you finally made it to the place of the all-time greats has to be the the ultimate feeling. To look out into the crowd and see fans of all teams looking up and cheering for you must be something special. Congratulations to Rod Woodson, Ralph Wilson, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Randall McDaniel and Bob Hayes. I hope one day we can see Ray Guy look out, take a deep breathe, and know that he has finally made it as well.

Ray Guy Award Watch List...

2009-08-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I meant to post this up a couple days ago. Congratulations to these men!

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/05/ray-guy-award-watch-list-announced/

Pro Football Weekly Article...

2009-08-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

I spoke earlier about Mike Beacom interviewing me about this Ray Guy campaign. The article has just been released today, and here is the link:

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2009/08/06/guy-represents-pro-footballs-unwanted

For those of you who read the article and clicked on the link to my blog, here is where you can sign the petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ray-guy-for-hall-of-fame.html

Thank you so much for all of your support. Ray Guy for Hall of Fame 2010!

Ray Guy Facebook...

2009-08-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I am one of the few people left in the world (it seems) that does not have a facebook (lame right?) The only reason why I would love to start one is to get this petition and awareness as to what we are doing more recognition. Luckily, a gentlemen by the name of Jonathan Keith (UGA) has already created a group under my name. You can type in my name, Steven Sawtelle, and you should see a picture of Ray Guy punting a football. Please Join!! I would love for there to be a big group of people. I believe the group is currently 190+! It has been great to see some of the people's comments on the page! It's makes me feel good to know that we are all in on this together. Also, be sure to invite others to join as well. It has a link to the petition right on there. Thanks Jonathan!

Hall of Fame Selection Committee...

2009-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I was fortunate enough to have heard back from some of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee members, but I found this one to be the most interesting. One gentlemen wrote back to me saying, "Steve: I share your enthusiasm for Ray Guy as a Hall of Famer. Don’t give up hope. He deserves his day in Canton and I think he’ll get there in the near future. He’s got my vote." This was exciting news! Obviously out of the many members on the committee, Ray does have support, but it is another thing to have it confirmed to you personally. I wrote back, and in the letter asked him what exactly it was that he thinks is holding Ray out of the Hall. He said this "Some voters don't believe a punter belongs in the Hall." Is that a valid reason to keep Guy out of the Hall? Is it because he is in the genre of "kicker"? That can't be it, Jan Stenerud is in the Hall though. Is it the personal achievements such as the Pro Bowl? No....Guy went to more Pro Bowls. Is it the championships? Can't be, He won two more Super Bowls than Stenerud. Hmm...

Long time, No Blog...

2009-08-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated this blog last! We sit here just four days shy of the 2009 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and Ray Guy was still not on the list. It' time to go back at it again for a 2010 bid! I will try to update this blog on a daily basis from here on out, and let you in on what I have been doing, whom I have spoke with, and what I think is the best way to raise awareness and support to get Guy into the Hall. I have been overwhelmed with support from local newspapers over the last year or so, and most recent Pro Football Weekly! I want to thank Mike Beacom for taking the time to talk with me, and having enough interest to listen to what I had to say. That meant a lot to me. Remember to spread the word about the petition, e-mail the Hall of Fame Board of selectors, and let them know how strongly we feel about having Ray Guy join the great fraternity of National Football League legends!

Augusta Chronicle...

2008-08-24T09:43:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank Chris Gay from the Augusta Chronicle for his wonderful article on my aspirations on getting Ray Guy into the Hall! I had 98 signatures as of Friday, and now I am in the 200's! Thank you Chris for being interested in my petition, and helping spread the word! Here is the link to the article: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/082308/pro_470499.shtml

Raider Nation...

2008-08-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hey there Raider fans, please spread the word about the petition. Thanks for kick-starting this entire process! We all want Ray to go into the Hall next year. Thank you guy! Also, keep our friend from raidersfans.net BK in your prayers! His father has been diagnosed with colon cancer. We are all praying for you BK!

2008-08-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

Signatures...

2008-08-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

The petition is up! It is now up to all of you! Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm in this process!

http://www.gopetition.com/online/20969.html

Ray Guy

2008-08-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

Hello there, my name is Steven Sawtelle, and this blog is dedicated to getting the great Ray Guy into the Professional Football Hall of Fame! Since his nomination in 1994, he has been vastly overlooked because of his position being a Punter. This, in my opinion, is a travesty. There is not a single position out on the football field that does not serve a purpose, or an importance. Since when has field position been something to disregard? Ray Guy was simply the best at what he did.

. Guy has the distinction of being the only punter selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
. Has played in 207 straight regular season games.
. Lead the NFL in punting three seasons.
. Punted 619 times consecutively without a block.
. Had over 200 punts inside the 20 yard line.
. Has a record of 111 post-season punts.
. Had over 5 punts of 60 yards or more during the 1981 season.
. Averaged 42.4 yards a punt.
. Won 3 Super Bowls.
. Never had a single punt returned for a touchdown!
. Selected to 7 pro bowls
. Punter on the National Football League's 75th Anniversary Team.
. 9 time All-Pro selection.
. NFL 1970s all-decade team.
. Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

...There seems to be one missing. These statistics are absolutely mind-boggling, and even more so that he is not being honored into the Hall. You could go on and on about his accomplishments on, and off the field. Off the field, Guy has taught punting for years, and he truly enjoys what he does. I was honored to have met him at one of his camps. He is very personable, fun to talk with, and is just a joy to be around. Having seen the recent inductees of 2008 being honored made me think more about Ray. I don't care what team you root for on Sunday's, we all share a common bond, and a common goal. To get Guy into the Hall, Where he belongs.