Hartman Named To Lou Groza Watch List
August 12, 2009 | Football
Aug. 12, 2009
IRVING, Texas - East Carolina senior Ben Hartman is one-of-30 preseason candidates named to the 2009 Lou Groza Award Watch List, which is given to the nation's top placekicker.
A preseason All-Conference USA selection, Hartman has drilled six career game-winning field goals at ECU including four on the final play of the game. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native ranked second in the nation last season in field goals made per game (1.91). Hartman drilled 21-of-31 field goal tries last season (67.7 percent), connecting for at least one in all 11 games played. He established a new school single-season record with the 21 field goals and matched a program single-game record with four vs. both Marshall and UTEP last season. Hartman connected on a season-long 51-yarder vs. Marshall, while also hitting four tries from 40-49 yards out. He successfully converted a school-record 77 consecutive PATs before missing in the final game of the regular season against UTEP.
Hartman is the fifth Pirate to be named to a 2009 preseason award watch list joining Matt Dodge (Ray Guy Award), Van Eskridge (Jim Thorpe Award), Patrick Pinkney (Johnny Unitas Award) and C.J. Wilson (Ted Hendricks Award).
More than three hundred media representatives, coaches, past recipients, conference and university officials make up the voting panel which selects the recipient of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicking Award. The Award will be presented on Dec. 10, 2009, as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards program. The three finalists will be honored at the 18th annual Lou Groza Award Banquet to be held at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday Dec. 8.
The award is named in honor of one of the all-time greatest 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. The 1,608 career points scored is still a Browns franchise record, and he ranks third all-time in the league. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
2009 LOU GROZA AWARD WATCH LIST
Josh Arauco, Arkansas State
James Aho, New Mexico
Matt Bosher, Miami
Kyle Brotzman, Boise State
Josh Czajkowski, NC State
Ross Evans, TCU
Clark Fangmeier, Rice
Kai Forbath, UCLA
Sam Glusman, Troy
Kevin Goessling, Fresno State
Ben Hartman, East Carolina
Alex Henery, Nebraska
Hunter Lawrence, Texas
Daniel Lincoln, Tennessee
Nick Maggio, Duke
Aaron Pettrey, Ohio State
Jonathan Phillips, Florida
Jake Rogers, Cincinnati
Mike Salerno, Northern Illinois
Joshua Shene, Mississippi
Alex Steigerwald, Toledo
Jimmy Stevens, Oklahoma
Brett Swenson, Michigan State
Dave Teggart, UConn
Leigh Tiffin, Alabama
Brandon Walker, Notre Dame
Blair Walsh, Georgia
Thomas Weber, Arizona State
Philip Welch, Wisconsin
Carson Wiggs, Purdue
