Kloss Named Groza Award Semifinalist
November 04, 2013 | Football
TAMPA – USF junior kicker Marvin Kloss (Naples, Fla.) has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2013 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl Committee. The announcement was made by The Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Kloss also earned his earned weekly honors from the American Athletic Conference for the third time this season as he was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time. Kloss earned the honor after going 3-of-3 on field goals at Houston, including kicks of 50, 49 and 39 yards. In the game Kloss extended his USF record consecutive field goal streak to 13 games.
In his first season of duty as the Bull's placekicker, Kloss has been outstanding leading the nation having converted on nine attempts from 40 yards or more and going 4-for-4 on kicks from 50 yards or more. His four field goals of 50 yards or more on the season are the most ever for a career for a USF kicker, and his long of 52 yards in a win over Cincinnati stands as the longest in the American Athletic Conference this season.
Kloss leads the Bulls with 51 points on the season and is tied atop the AAC hitting 92.9 percent (13-14) of his field goals on the year and all 12 of his PAT attempts. Kloss scored all 14 of the Bulls offensive points, hitting 4-of-4 on field goals, in their AAC opening win over Cincinnati to earn AAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He also hit field goals of 47 and 44 yards in a win at UConn, the last the game winner with 4:03 to play, as he scored all 21 of the Bulls offensive points in their 2-0 AAC start.
Kloss has made seven field goals of 47 yards or more during his string of 13 straight. The seven field goals of that distance are also a career record for a USF kicker.
Groza Semifinalists will be voted on by FBS Head Coaches and SIDs, past Groza finalists, and national and regional football writers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 25th and honored at the 22nd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 10th in West Palm Beach, Florida. The winner will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 12th.
The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in football history, Lou Groza. Groza played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 16 finalists, including 10 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning eight trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home five Super Bowls. That list includes current NFL kickers Dan Bailey, Randy Bullock, Mason Crosby, Kai Forbath, Graham Gano, Garrett Hartley, Dustin Hopkins, Sebastian Janikowski, Mike Nugent, Caleb Sturgis, and Blair Walsh.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please visit LouGrozaAward.com, or follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter for updates as they happen.
