- Joe Allison (football player)
Joe Allison is a former
American football placekicker . Allison is perhaps most famous for being the winner of theinaugural Lou Groza Award in 1992, the award presented to honor the top placekicker incollege football .Career
High school
Allison attended high school at American High School in
Miami, Florida . Although he starred at his school as aquarterback , punter, andplacekicker ,Memphis State University was the onlyDivision 1-A school to offer him ascholarship .cite web |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138653/index.htm |title=Joe Allison |accessdate=2008-07-31 |last=Reed |first=William F. |coauthors= |date= |work=1993-10-04 |publisher="Sports Illustrated "] Allison chose to accept the scholarship, and attended Memphis State.College
Allison played collegiate football at the
University of Memphis , which at the time was calledMemphis State University . In 1992, his junior season at the school, Allison won theLou Groza Award , awarded to the nation's topplacekicker . During the season, Allison made 23 out of 25 field goals, and led theNCAA in both field goals made as well as and field goal percentage, where he achieved 92 percent. He also connected on all 32 extra points that he attempted. For the 1992 season, Allison scored a total of 101 points. Allison was also named by theAssociated Press to the first-teamAll American team, the first Memphis State University player in the school's history to be honored with that recognition. [cite web |url=http://www.lougrozaaward.com/Previous_winners.htm |title=Previous Winners |accessdate=2008-07-31 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Lou Groza Award]Personal life
Joe Allison's first cousin was
Davey Allison , who was aNASCAR race car driver forRobert Yates Racing . Davey was killed in ahelicopter accident in 1993. Joe was thegodfather to Davey's daughter Krista. Joe and Davey were very close, and after his death, Joe said "Before I go in to kick, I put my hat down and say, 'Davey, give me the strength to do the best I can, to be as strong as you were.'"References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.