By JOHN INGOLDSBY
Engagement Insider
JACKSONVILLE, FL June 17, 2014 – The patriarch of punters is heading into the Hall of Fame in a few weeks, and his kinship of kickers has mobilized to be in Canton for the momentous weekend.
After all, Raider legend Ray Guy is the first punter ever to be enshrined.
His fellow punter Bryan Barker recognized that this honor was special, so he spearheaded an effort to gather his brethren and honor the godfather of their craft.
“The list has grown, and we already have at least 10 of us definitely planning to be there, and that could even double by induction weekend,” said Barker, who kicked for six NFL teams over 15 years. “We punters are a small fraternity since there is only one of us on each team, but we want to get together as a group to be represented there.”
With good reason since a first-ever induction only happens once.
“This is a unique moment in time because of Ray Guy going into the Hall,” said Barker, the 1997 first-team All-Pro Punter with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Ray was very important in my development and we all grew up kicking a ball, but he brought the position of punting into the spotlight.”
So in mid-May after talking with other NFL players at a golf tournament, Barker began the process of reaching out to gather his group in support of Ray.
“We just thought coming together in Canton would be fun, so we worked with the NFL and Hall of Fame, and developed a list of contacts, which has been growing,” recalled Barker, who today serves as a Jags Ambassador.
Indeed fun will be the order of the day when they get to Ohio.
“We are looking forward to hanging out with the gold-jacket wearing crowd,” quipped Barker, adding that when not golfing, they expect to spend a lot of time in the Legends Lounge, hosted by NFL Player Engagement and NFL Entertainment Marketing.
And during the actual induction, what will he and his former fellow punters, expected to include Sean Landeta and Jeff Feagles, be doing?
“We are hoping that we can sit in one section together at the ceremony, and maybe even that Master of Ceremonies Chris Berman will introduce us as a group,” stated an optimistic Barker.