The Countdown 2010: 16 Days to Go

16: Kevin Butler, Kicker #5 (1981 – 1984)

Kevin Butler (with #99 Drew Butler) completes the only father-son pair in our countdown. Kevin Butler inherited the placekicking job from Rex Robinson following the National Championship Season in 1980. Butler’s career at Georgia got off to a great start that fall. Butler kicked 17 field goals in what would be the first of 4 All-SEC seasons in Athens. With Dawgs completing another undefeated regular season in 1982 (they would lose to Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl), Butler racked up 85 points on 17 field goals and 34 PATs. Butler would make 18 of 23 field goals in 1983, earning the first All-American honor of his career.

During his final season at Georgia in 1984, Butler would make a kick that cemented his legend in Bulldog history. The Dawgs were tied with rival Clemson at home late in the fourth quarter. Georgia drove the ball just inside Clemson territory and lined up for what would be a 60 yard attempt. Here is the call from Larry Munson:


Kevin Butler would go onto an All-Pro career in the NFL, playing on the Super Bowl winning Chicago Bears under Coach Mike Ditka. In years in Athens saw his make 77 of 98 field goal attempts, including kicks of 60, 59, 53, and 52. He was a four time All-SEC selection and two-time first team All-American. He is lone kicker to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and is arguably the greatest kicker in NCAA history.

The Countdown 2010: 58 Days to Go

58: Rex Robinson, Kicker #5 (1977 – 1980)

Marietta native Rex Robinson holds a special place amongst the greatest players to ever grace the field for the Georgia Bulldogs. Rex is a one of the handful of great kickers who have kicked for the Dawgs over the years and was a key member of Georgia’s national championship team in 1980.

As a freshman in 1977, Robinson’s career got off to a rather unpleasant start as he missed the first extra point attempt of his career. It would be the only extra point he would miss at Georgia, as he made everyone of his next 101 attempts during his Georgia career. He led Georgia in scoring that fall with 45 points and was named a member of the All-SEC Freshman team. 1978 would be the first of three consecutive years on the All-SEC squad for Robinson. He only missed two kicks all season (29-29 PATS, 15-17 field goals) and kicked the game winning field goal against Kentucky (famous for Munson’s “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” call).

1979 would be another banner year for Robinson. He would once again lead Georgia in scoring with 66 points and was named a Playboy All-American. As Georgia marched to the SEC Championship in 1980, Robinson made big kicks to keep Georgia undefeated, including hitting a 57 yarder in a 13-10 victory over South Carolina:

Rex would cap off his fantastic career with a 46 yard field goal in the Sugar Bowl victory over Notre Dame that secured the National Championship. He was named to multiple All-American teams following the season and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. For his Georgia career, he made 101 of 102 extra points, including the second best in NCAA history of 101 in a row. He is fourth all-time at Georgia with 56 field goals made. His career field goal percentage of 67% is especially impressive when you consider it was achieved when the NCAA average field goal percentage was only 56%. Rex has continued to show his love for the Bulldog Nation by running his own blog, Roughing the Kicker.

The Countdown 2010: 99 Days to Go

Today, we present our only punter on the list of the 100 greatest players in Georgia history. Like AJ Green, this player is also still active and has two years of eligibility left. This will be the final active player to appear in the countdown.

Drew Butler, Punter #13 (2008 – Present)

Being the son of legendary Bulldog kicker Kevin Butler, Drew Butler had large shoes to fill when he accepted a scholarship out of Peachtree Ridge High School. Butler red shirted in 2007 and was the back up to senior Brian Mimbs during the 2008 season. Butler was used sparingly in short punt situations in 2008, punting 3 times for 107 yards. Going into the 2009 season, many Georgia fans were concerned if Butler would be able to continue on the excellent job punters (Kilgo, Ely-Kelso, Mimbs) had done under Coach Right. By the end of the season, no one would question Butler’s ability.

In the 2009 season, Drew Butler won the Ray Guy Award given annually to the top collegiate punter in the nation. He was unanimous All-American selection and first team All-SEC. And why did Butler walk away with these awards? Because he was the best punter in the nation and the competition was not even close. Butler punted 56 times for 2,691 yards which included 19 punts that were downed inside the opponents’ 20 yard line. His 48.1 yard per punt average led the country by nearly a two yard per punt average. That same differential (2 yards) that Butler had between himself and the #2 punter in the country equaled the distance between the #2 punter and the #15 punter. Butler also kicked a career long punt of 75 yards in the 2009 season opener against Oklahoma State.

It was truly an amazing season for Butler in Athens and with two years of eligibility remaining, we can only expect continued excellence from Butler over the next two years.

In a Bad Season, Kickers Always Seem to Shine

Last night, Georgia punter Drew Butler won the Ray Guy Award given annually to the nation's best punter. His teammate, Blair Walsh, was also a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's best placekicker. Drew Butler certainly deserved this award, leading the nation with a 48.8 yards per punt average. Walsh made 19 of 21 field goals, including 10 of 11 from 40+ yards. While both had amazing seasons, this is the first time in recent memory that Georgia kickers have been recognized for their work. My question is, why does it seem to take a bad season to recognize the importance of these players to their team?

Georgia has a great tradition of kickers under coach Mark Richt. Our punters have traditionally ranked near the top of the SEC in yards per kick. Jonathan Kilgo, Gordon Ely-Kelso, and Brian Mimbs all enjoyed stellar careers for the Dawgs during times when the Dawgs were consistently ranked in the top ten in the country. The same goes for the kickers. Brandon Coutu consistently made long field goals look easy and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. Before Coutu, Billy Bennett was setting SEC records on his way to becoming the second leading scorer in NCAA history.

But up until Butler's win last night, a Georgia kicker had never been recognized nationally with an award. The winner of the Groza last night, Kai Forbath of UCLA, also played for a team that struggled this year. It seems the media is quick to recognize offensive players for their individual efforts, but when it comes to kickers, they need their team to be bad to give them an extra push.

Congratulations Drew Butler on a fantastic season! You certainly have done the Butler family name proud.

The Countdown 2009: 60 Days to Go

60

Distance, in yards, of Kevin Butler's game winning field goal against Clemson in 1984.