![Sophomore Chris Beckman was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List. [File photo by Jerry Ward]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Ftulanegreenwave.com%2Fimages%2F2004%2F9%2F10%2F28224.jpeg&height=300&type=webp)
Chris Beckman Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List
Sep 10, 2004 | Football
Sept. 10, 2004
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University punter Chris Beckman has been named to the 2004 Ray Guy Award Watch List, the Greater Augusta Sports Council announced on Thursday. Beckman is one of 36 punters on the list as potential candidates for the top collegiate punter of the year award.
As a redshirt freshman last year, Beckman was a second team All-Conference USA selection while also earning honorable mention Freshman All-America honors from Rivals.com. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt and had 17 of his 65 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Over the last six games of the season, he averaged 45.9 yards per punt on 35 kicks, including a Louisiana Superdome record 73-yard blast against East Carolina. In the East Carolina game, he set the Tulane single-game record for punting average at 54.6.
In the opening game of the 2004 season last Saturday, Beckman picked up right where he left off punting seven times for an average of 43.7 yards. He had a pair of 50-yard punts, including a long of 52 yards and also pinned the Bulldogs on their own one-yard line with a second-quarter punt. Mississippi State managed to return just one of the seven punts.
Tulane and Beckman return to action tomorrow, hosting Florida A&M at the Superdome at 6 p.m. Tickets for the game are available by calling 504-861-WAVE.
The Ray Guy Award will be presented to the nation's best collegiate punter as determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches and sports information directors, former punters and members designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Among the statistics to be included in determining the Ray Guy Award winner are total yardage, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside of the opponent's 20-yard line, net average, average return yardage and percentage not returned. The winner will display leadership and self-discipline, and will have a positive impact on the team's success.
The Ray Guy Award watch list will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists who will be announced in early November. The national voting body will then vote for the three finalists who will be announced in late November. On December 9, 2004 the three finalists will travel to Orlando, Fla., for the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, with the winner being announced and presented with the award live on ESPN. Punters are eligible to join the watch list at any time prior to the announcement of the ten semi-finalists.
Further, the Ray Guy Award winner will be invited to Augusta, Georgia for an exciting two-day celebration, including the Greater Augusta Sports Awards Gala, the Ray Guy Kicking & Punting Academy, and community appearances.
2004 Ray Guy Award Watch List
Adam Anderson, Western Michigan
Jeff Babcock, Colorado State
Kyle Basler, Washington State
Danny Baugher, Arizona
Chris Beckman, Tulane
Bryce Benekos, Texas - El Paso
David Bradley, Iowa
John Braziel, Texas Christian
Vinnie Burns, Virginia Tech
Brendan Carney, Syracuse
Dustin Colquitt, Tennessee
Gary Cook, UNLV
Jared Cook, Mississippi State
Ryan Dougherty, East Carolina
Gordon Ely-Kelso, Georgia
Cole Farden, Oklahoma State
Adam Finley, Michigan
Bo Freeland, Alabama
Luke Johnson, Southern Mississippi
Brad Kadlubar, North Texas
Chris Kluwe, UCLA
Tom Malone, Southern California
Ryan Mentzel, Southern Methodist
Thomas Olmstead, Troy State
Matt Payne, Brigham Young
Ryan Plackemeier, Wake Forest
Adam Podlesh, Maryland
Alex Reyes, Texas Tech
Cody Ridgeway, Mississippi
Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor
Jacob Skinner, Arkansas
Joel Stelly, Louisiana-Monroe
Kyle Stringer, Boise State
Anthony Thornton, Kentucky
John Torp, Colorado
David Wooldridge, North Carolina
