What was Ray Guy's Net Worth?
Ray Guy was an American professional football player who had a net worth of $400 thousand at the time of his death in 2022. Ray Guy played for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders and is widely considered the greatest punter of all time.
Bankruptcy
Unfortunately, Ray Guy experienced some financial problems in his later years, ultimately resulting in a 2011 bankruptcy filing. He was also forced to auction a number of his most prized possessions to satisfy his debts, including his three Super Bowl rings which were bought by a collector for $96,216.
Early Life
William Ray Guy was born on December 22, 1949, in Swainsboro, Georgia. He attended Thomson High School and was a four-sport star. He played quarterback, safety, tailback, and linebacker in addition to kicking and punting for the football team. He helped lead the team to the Georgia Class A state football championships in 1967 and 1968.
Guy went to the University of Southern Mississippi where he was a punter and placekicker. He once kicked a then-NCAA record 61-yard field goal in a snowstorm in Utah, and kicked a 93-yard punt in a game against the University of Mississippi in 1972. He led the nation with an average of 46.2 yards per punt and earned First-team All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America. His No. 44 is retired by the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
NFL Career
With the 23rd overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, Ray Guy became the first punter ever selected in the first round. He played his entire career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and was selected to seven Pro Bowls, including six in a row from 1973 through 1978. He won the Golden Toe Award in 1975 and was named Second-team All-Pro twice (1979, 1980) and First-team All-Pro six times (1973-1978). Guy was also a three-time Super Bowl champion (XI, XV, XVIII).
Ray Guy set multiple records, including a streak of 619 consecutive punts before having one blocked and five punts of over 60 yards during the 1981 season. The stat regarding hang time was instituted because his punts would hang in the air so long. Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips once accused Guy of using footballs inflated with helium because of how long his punts stayed in the air.
Getty Images
Hall of Fame
After many years of being considered one of the most worthy players not yet selected, Ray Guy was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014. He became the first punter inducted and remains the only to this day. He proclaimed at his enshrinement speech that "Now the Hall of Fame has a complete team."
Guy was also inducted into both the Mississippi and Georgia Sports Hall of Fames, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Ray was married to Beverly Guy, and the couple had two children together: Ryan and Amber.
After filing for bankruptcy in 2011, Guy auctioned off his three Super Bowl rings for a total of $96,216.
After a lengthy illness and battle with advanced-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Guy passed away on November 3, 2022, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at the age of 72.
