West Palm Beach, Fla. – NC State place kicker Christopher Dunn has been named one of the three finalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced today. Dunn, along with Stanford’s Joshua Karty and Jake Moody of Michigan were selected by a national panel of college football experts.
Dunn, a graduate student from Lexington, capped a record-setting career with his finest single season, going 24-for-25 on field goals – the best accuracy rate by kickers with at least 20 attempts. He ranks second nationally in total field goals. He connected on 17 kicks from at least 30 yards out, also the second-most in the country, and was 10-11 from 40+ yards. Already the NC State program leader in both field goals and scoring, this season he set the ACC career records in those categories.
He was a two-time ACC Specialist of the Week this season, for the games vs. Florida State and UNC.
This year, fans can have their part in naming the winner of the Lou Groza Award. Fans can visit lougrozaaward.com and cast a vote for their favorite of the three finalists selected by the national panel of voters. The finalist who receives the greatest total of fan votes will be given one vote on the final ballot. One vote can make a difference in the final outcome, so fans are encouraged to participate.
This year’s finalists were selected by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers. These finalists will be honored at the 31st annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 5 in Palm Beach County. The same voting panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 8th.