12.6.2000 Jonathan Ruffin Wins Lou Groza Award
Sophomore Kicker Honored After Leading The Nation With 26 Field Goals
Contact: Brian McCann
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - University of Cincinnati sophomore kicker Jonathan Ruffin capped off a memorable 2000 season by being named the recipient of the ninth annual Lou Groza Award, which is annually presented by the Palm Beach County Sports County Sports Commission to the top placekicker in the nation. The award was announced this evening at a banquet at the Sheraton West Palm Beach Hotel.
"If you told me at the start of the season that I would be standing here receiving this award, I wouldn't have believed you," Ruffin told the banquet audience.
"My goal heading into the year was to have a good solid season. I wanted to make a majority of my kicks and be somebody that my teammates could depend on.
"Last year, we had a lot of games that were decided by the kicking game and we lost them. This year, it's been the opposite. I feel like I've had a big part in our team's success.
"I really didn't have time to be nervous or put pressure on myself this year. I made six field goals in the first two games and everything fell into place."
The honor is the latest in a line of awards for Ruffin since the end of the regular season. A consensus All-America choice, Ruffin has been named to All-America teams by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writer's Association of America, The Sporting News and collegefootball.com. He was also the co-recipient of the team's Claude Rost Award as Cincinnati's most valuable player while being named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year.
It has been a storybook season for Ruffin, who finished the regular season leading the nation with 26 field goals in 29 attempts this year, the sixth-highest single-season total in NCAA history and just three short of the all-time record, set by John Lee of UCLA in 1984.
Ruffin, a sophomore from Metairie, LA, set a school mark by making a field goal in every game this season, shattering the Bearcats' old school season record of 17 field goals, formerly held by Tom Dallen. He tied the school record for field goals in a game with four against both Tulane and UAB enroute to setting the single-season record for kick scoring points with 104. He also set the UC standard by making 12 consecutive field goals over a five-game stretch, besting the old mark of eight straight set by Eric Richards in 1997.
Ruffin's performance this season has been made even more special considering it comes on the heels of a 1999 season which saw him struggle with his consistency, making just five-of-12 attempts during the year. He ended his sophomore campaign ranked third in UC history with 31 career field goals and fourth with 142 kick scoring points.
Ruffin wasted no time in putting his 1999 performance behind him, making three field goals to key a fourth quarter rally in a 23-17 season-opening win over Army. He continued his streak with three fourth quarter field goals just five days later to help the Bearcats rally for a 12-10 win over Syracuse.
Ruffin closed the season in dramatic fashion, kick game-winning field goals in each of the last two games. He connected on a 30-yard attempt to force overtime at Memphis, winning the game with a 37-yard overtime kick. One week later, he made a fourth quarter field goals of 41 and 31 yards, the last coming with 45 seconds left, in a 27-24 win over Southern Miss.
Started in 1992, the Lou Groza Award is named after Lou "The Toe" Groza, the Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame placekicker who is credited with elevating the role of placekicker to one of an offensive weapon and scoring machine. Groza, who played 21 seasons in the NFL, set NFL records for field goals and extra points in a season as a rookie and he ended his career with 10 league records and 24 Cleveland Browns marks.
The 2000 Lou Groza Awards dinner also served as a tribute to the life of Lou Groza, who passed away last Thursday in Cleveland at the age of 76. Groza was feted in a video compilation of his career.
Previous recipients of the award included Memphis' Joe Allison in 1992, Judd Davis of Florida in 1993, Arizona's Steve McLaughlin in 1994, Michael Reeder of TCU in 1995, Kansas State's Martin Gramatica in 1997 and Sebastion Janikowski of Florida State in both 1998 and 1999.
The other finalists for the award were Alex Walls of Tennessee and Kansas State's Jamie Rheem, who was also a finalist in 1999. The three finalists were selected from a list of 20 semifinalists. The award winner was determined by a national voting panel made up of Division I-A football coaches, sportscasters, sportswriters, college conference officials, professional kickers and previous winners.
Rheem ended the season connecting on 17-of-20 field goal attempts to rank 14th in the nation in field goals made, while Walls ranked seventh with 18 field goals in 20.
Ruffin will now travel to Orlando, Fla. to take part in the Home Depot College Football Awards show, which will be televised live on ESPN on Thursday night (Dec. 6).
Ruffin will have one more opportunity to kick in 2000 when Cincinnati takes on Mid-American Conference champion Marshall in the fourth annual Motor City Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27 in the Pontiac Silverdome.