Ray Guy made the two-word phrase “hang time” famous while playing for the Oakland Raiders. His booming punts would hang for what seemed like minutes throughout his career of 14 years with the Raiders that started in 1973.
His hang time is finally over. Guy was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday to become the first every punter enshrined.
On Saturday night, Guy told reporters that good things are worth the wait. He was elected with six other former NFL players. Guy said he knew that one day a punter would reach the Hall but he just was not sure if it would be him or someone else.
The other six elected along with Guy are Michael Strahan a defensive end, Andre Reed a receiver, Aeneas Williams a defensive back, Claude Humphreys a defensive end and two first time eligible players Walter Jones an offensive tackle and Derrick Brooks a linebacker.
Guy changed punting by turning it into a weapon for the defense after being drafted by the Raiders in 1973 in the first round, which was the first time any punter had been drafted in the first round.
He played all 207 games of his career with Oakland and when inducted he and Jan Stenerud will be the only two Hall of Fame kickers.
Brooks was Tampa Bay’s cornerstone on defense, which led the league twice in 2002 and 2005. Brooks was named the defensive player of the year the season Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in 2002. He played every game in 14 seasons and averaged 145 tackles per season.
Jones was drafted No. 6 in 1997 and became the best pass protector on the Seattle line. He also was the first Seattle lineman picked to a Pro Bowl.
The single season sack record was set by Strahan in 2001 with 22½ sacks.
Reed was drafted from little known Kutztown University and played for Buffalo for 15 seasons where he played in four Super Bowls. He played his final season in Washington.
Williams played cornerback for 14 seasons with the first 10 with the Arizona Cardinals and the last 4 with the St. Louis Rams. He had 55 interceptions during his career.
Humphrey’s was elected after 28 years of being eligible. He played 14 seasons with Atlanta and Philadelphia.
Michael Turner
