Browne Named to Groza Watch List
8/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 6, 2003
TCU senior placekicker Nick Browne has been named to the 2003 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Preseason Watch List, announced today.
The Watch List is comprised of the top 30 preliminary candidates for the 12th annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl. The award will be given out during a ceremony on Tuesday, December 9, 2003, at the West Palm Beach Marriott at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, FL.
The kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List were chosen based on statistics from the 2002 season and preseason expectations. However, all Division I-A kickers are eligible for consideration for the award.
A panel of over 300 experts votes on the award, including Division I-A head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters, conference representatives, professional kickers and all previous Groza Award finalists.
The 20 semi-finalists for the Lou Groza Award will be announced on Monday, November 3, followed with the naming of the three finalists two weeks later, on Monday, November 17.
Browne was a first team Conference USA placekicker last season after converting 23-of-30 field goal attempts. He was also a first-team Verizon Academic all-American. He was selected as Playboy magazine's 2003 Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete of the Year and is a pre-season first team all-conference pick and the league's Special Teams Player of the Year, as selected by the Conference USA head football coaches.
The award, now in its 12th year, is named for NFL Hall-of-Fame kicker Lou Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Nicknamed "The Toe," Groza was one of the first people to truly make kicking an art form, and he helped usher in to football the idea that a player could be used exclusively for kicking.
The Lou Groza Award is sponsored by BankAtlantic, The Breakers, Continental Airlines, ESPN Radio 760, ESPN Regional Television, Florida Coca-Cola Bottling, JBS Destination Solutions, Palm Beach Kennel Club, The Palm Beach Post, Parallax Productions, Rooney's Public House, West Palm Beach Marriott at CityPlace and WPEC News Channel 12.
For more information regarding the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com, or contact the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at (561) 233-1015.
2003 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Preseason Watch List
Dario Aguiniga, New Mexico State University, Sr.
Joey Ashcroft, Air Force Academy, Sr.
Steve Azar, Northern Illinois University, Sr.
Jeff Babcock, Colorado State University, Jr.
Xavier Beitia, Florida State University, Jr.
Dustin Bell, University of Houston, Jr.
Adam Benike. Iowa State University. Sr.
Billy Bennett, University of Georgia, Sr.
Nick Browne, TCU, Sr.
Trey DiCarlo, University of Oklahoma, Soph.
Drew Dunning, Washington State University, Sr.
Robbie Gould, Penn State University, Jr.
Santiago Gramatica, University of South Florida, Jr.
Mike Gruzwalski, Central Michigan University, Soph.
Nick Hayes, UAB, Jr.
Aaron Hunt, Clemson University, Sr.
Nate Kaeding, University of Iowa, Sr.
Ryan Killeen, USC, Jr.
Jonathan Nichols, University of Mississippi, Jr.
Nick Novak, University of Maryland, Jr.
Mike Nugent, Ohio State University, Jr.
Jared Parseghian, Miami University, Jr.
Matt Payne, Brigham Young University, Jr.
Sandro Sciortino, Boston College, Sr.
Josh Scobee, Louisiana Tech, Sr.
Jared Siegel, University of Oregon, Jr.
Brent Smith, Mississippi State University, Sr.
Shaun Suisham, Bowling Green State University, Sr.
Matt Wisnosky, Wake Forest University, Jr.
Kirk Yliniemi, Oregon State University, Sr.
