University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Parker Shaunfield Named to Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List
7/25/2018 10:55:00 AM | Football
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Southern Miss place kicker Parker Shaunfield, a redshirt senior from Aledo, Texas, is among the 30-player Watch List for the 2018 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Shaunfield earned Conference USA first-team honors at the end of the 2017 season and was picked to be the league's preseason Special Teams Player of the Year.
He started his career with a school-record streak of 87 consecutive extra points made and also converted 17 of his 20 field goals (including a career-best 15 in a row). His most memorable game last season came in an overtime road win at Louisiana Tech on Oct. 21, hitting a career-best four field goals in four tries, including a 49-yarder with 1:23 left in regulation. It was the first four-field goal contest by a Golden Eagle since Oct. 17, 2015.
Shaunfield also belted a career-long of 51 yards at the end of the first half at Rice (Nov. 11) and was No. 5 in the conference in field goals per game (1.31). Last year, he became the first Golden Eagle specialist on the All-League team since Corey Acosta in 2014.
The Groza Committee will be watching all FBS kickers during the season, and releasing a weekly "Stars of the Week" feature on www.lougrozaaward.com. All FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected as semifinalists.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thursday, November 1st. From this list, a panel of more than 300 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tuesday, November 20th. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, December 6th during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
The 27th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet at West Palm Beach's Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on December 3rd.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland, and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the "Stars of the Week" throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.
