University of Memphis Athletics
Lou Groza Award
Sep 20, 1999 | Football
Former University of Memphis placekicker Joe Allison enjoyed a record setting career and a brilliant season in 1992, but he never dreamed that in doing so he would receive the Lou Groza Award, which is presented to the nation's top college kicker.
Allison, a native of Atlanta, GA, led the nation in field goals per game, average field goals made per game, and in kick scoring for the final nine weeks of the 1992 season. His 23-of-25 field goals made were the most in the nation according to the NCAA and his 92.0 percent made rated best among all kickers for the year.
"I did not know about the Lou Groza Award until we played Tulsa in late October," said Allison. "After the game, Bob Winn (Assistant Athletic Director/Communications) came up to me in the locker room and said that I was a candidate for the award. I didn't even know who Lou Groza was at the time.
"As soon as we returned to campus, I looked up Mr. Groza's statistics in the NFL record book and I talked to Coach Armstrong (UM kicking coach) about his career with the Cleveland Browns."
Allison continued on his torrid streak of field goals made throughout the remainder of the '92 season. Week after week, his name appeared at the top of the NCAA statistics for kickers and a campaign was started to let sportswriters and voters throughout the country know about Allison's feats.
For his accomplishments, Allison was named first team All-America by The Football News, The Football Writers Association, the Associated Press, United Press International, College and Pro Football Weekly and The Sporting News. He is Memphis' first ever first team All-American on the Associated Press squad and was named to more first team All-America teams in one year than any other Memphis football Tiger in the school's history.
Following the Thanksgiving holidays, Allison suffered an attack of appendicitis and had an emergency appendectomy. The surgery kept Allison from traveling to Hollywood, CA, to appear on the Bob Hope Christmas Special and it was while he was in the hospital recovering from his surgery that Allison learned that he had won the Lou Groza Award.
"Mr. Winn called and told me that I had won the award and it made me feel a whole lot better," Allison stated. "I was determined that I was going to get well and travel to Florida for the awards ceremony."
Allison did indeed recover from his surgery and with the assistance of former head coach Chuck Stobart and kicking coach Murray Armstrong, traveled to West Palm Beach, FL, to receive the first national award ever won by a Memphis player.
The December 10th program was emceed by ABC sportscaster Curt Gowdy, and Baylor University head coach Grant Teaff was the guest speaker. The banquet was attended by 350 individuals including such former professional football players as Alex Webster (New York Giants) and Earl Morrell (Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins).
In accepting the Lou Groza Award from "The Toe" himself, Allison credited his snapper and holder and the entire Tiger special teams.
"Out of the 57 snaps during the season," Allison said, "I was the only one who made a mistake. Chad (Williams) did not have a bad snap, Andy (McWilliams) did not have a bad hold, but I missed two field goals. I couldn't have done it without their help."
The cousin of the late NASCAR driver Davey Allison, Joe booted 32-of-32 PATs in 1992 and finished with a school record 81 consecutive PATs made for his career.
He set the Memphis record for field goals made in a single season when he kicked his 17th of the year in the Tigers win over Tulsa in 1992.
Allison currently holds the Memphis record for 50-yard field goals in a season with three in 1990 and with two 51-yarders in 1992, Allison has hit more 50- plus yard field goals than any other player in Tiger history.
For 30 years, the school scoring record for a single season had been 84 points by Dave Casinelli (1963). Allison broke Casinelli's record during the Ole Miss game and finished the season with 101 points. He accounted for 35.2 percent of all of the Tigers' points in 1992.
LOU GROZA AWARD WINNERS
1992: Joe Allison, Memphis
1993: Judd Davis, Florida
1994: Steve McLaughlin, Arizona
1995: Michael Reeder, TCU
1996: Marc Primanti, NC. State
1997: Martin Gramatica, Kansas State
1998: Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State
