Craddock Tabbed Lou Groza Finalist
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – University of Maryland place-kicker Brad Craddock has been selected as a finalist for the 23rd Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Tuesday.
Craddock, Maryland's first-ever Groza finalist, is one of three student-athletes vying for the honor. The junior is joined by Florida State's Roberto Aguayo, who won the award in 2013, and West Virginia's Josh Lambert.
This season, Craddock has converted all 17 of his field goals attempts and has converted 23 straight dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in FBS. Craddock is the only FBS kicker that is perfect this season with 10 of his successful tries coming from 40-plus yards.
The native of Adelaide, Australia native set a Maryland record this season hitting a 57-yard field goal against Ohio State on Oct. 4. The kick is the second-longest FBS field goal this season. One month later, Craddock kicked his first career game-winning field against Penn State on Nov. 1 hitting a 43-yard attempt with under a minute remaining.
With 23 straight successful field goal attempts, Craddock holds the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. He is one field goal shy of tying the all-time conference mark held by Ohio State's Mike Nugent, who hit 24 straight from 2001-02.
This year, fans can have their part in naming the winner of the Lou Groza Award. Fans can visit www.lougrozaaward.com and cast a vote for one of the three finalists. The finalist who receives the greatest total of fan votes will receive one vote on the final ballot.
The finalists will be honored at the 23rd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 9 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. The winner will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will air at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 11 from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk at the Walk Disney World Resort.
– Maryland –
