In the January amateur draft, Dick Ruthven, Jim Sundberg, Donnie Moore and punter Ray Guy are choosen
On January 10, 1973 — In the January amateur draft, the Philadelphia Phillies select P Dick Ruthven, the Texas Rangers take C Jim Sundberg, and the Chicago Cubs pick P Donnie Moore. The Cincinnati Reds pick Southern Mississippi punter Ray Guy in the third round, but he chooses the NFL instead.
Ray Guy was drafted four times as a pitcher, but opted for football, where he became a Hall-of-Famer.
Guy was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round of the 1969 amateur draft out of high school but went on to college instead. In the 1971 June secondary draft, he was picked by the Houston Astros. The Atlanta Braves selected him in the 17th round of the 1972 amateur draft. The Cincinnati Reds finally took him in the third round of the January 1973 draft. He struck out 260 in 220 2/3 IP in college, completing 14 of 31 starts. Despite pitching just 31 games, he was 4th in school history in strikeouts through 2004.
For all his dominance on the mound, Guy was even better in football, setting school records for interceptions in a season (8), longest field goal (61 yards, a NCAA record at the time) and punting average (44.7 yards per kick, tops in the nation in 1972). He was the first punter inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, in 2004.
The first punter ever to be picked in the first round, he made seven Pro Bowls for the Oakland Raiders, averaging 42.4 yards per punt and leading the NFL in punting three times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
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