Ray Guy is recognized as a retired, All-Pro punter for theOakland Raiders. A member of three Super Bowl championship teams atOakland, Guy was an integral part of those legendary squads wearingsilver and black.

His latest role in the game of life is wearing black and gold,and promoting Southern Miss. Obviously, Guy possesses All-Americanpeople skills, too. He entertained a partisan crowd of SouthernMiss alumni and friends Tuesday night at Rusty’s FamilyRestaurant.

A 1973 Southern Miss grade, Guy ranks among the greatestathletes to ever play football for USM’s Golden Eagles. During hisplaying days in Hattiesburg, the team was nicknamed Southerners.Golden Eagles became the official mascot name in 1973.

The first college punter to ever be drafted in the first round,Guy didn’t disappoint Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis or coach JohnMadden. He enjoyed 14 spectacular years as a punter before chronicback trouble forced his retirement.

A Thompson, Ga., native, Guy was signed as a quarterback at USM.He played for P.W. “Bear” Underwood, another coaching legend.Underwood, a hoarse-voiced, barrel-chested man who wore Coke-bottlethick glasses, built a solid foundation for the footballprogram.

And he did it on a shoestring budget, too. In the good, olddays, coaches had to pay their own traveling expenses when theywent on recruiting trips.

“Coach Underwood recruited castoffs, players nobody elsewanted,” Guy pointed out. “He and his coaching staff made goodplayers out of us.”

Guy was recruited by Georgia coach Vince Dooley and witnessedmany games in Athens, about one hour’s drive from his home inThompson. One of Guy’s high school coaches was Jimmy Kilpatrick, aformer USM halfback.

“Coach Kilpatrick told me Southern was a great place to go toschool, so I made a visit,” said Guy. “Back then, you could make asmany campus visits as you wanted to. Coach Dooley fed me severaltimes when I visited Georgia.”

An all-around athlete, Guy was an outstanding pitcher. He playedbaseball at USM and threw 1 of the 4 no-hitters in the school’shistory.

“I played baseball in the spring so I ended up playing freesafety for three years,” said Guy. “I also punted and kickedoff.”

One of his memorable moments was the school-record 93-yard punthe launched against the Ole Miss Rebels. The crowd of 60 some folksapplauded that memory last night.

Guy broke his ankle when USM was playing Memphis State in hislast college game. It was played at Mississippi Veterans MemorialStadium in Jackson. Surgery mended the break and Oakland didn’thesitate to draft him in 1973.

“Coach Madden called and talked to me for about an hour,” Guyrecalled. “I didn’t even know where Oakland was located. I had toask Ace Cleveland (USM sports information director) where Oaklandwas.

“He said is was across the water from San Francisco.”

Hang-Time, a commonly used phrase today during TV footballgames, was introduced by Madden when he watched Guy punt duringpreseason practice in Oakland. “I was nailing them (punts) 40-60yards. They were 4.8 and 4.9 seconds of hang-time. He askedsomebody to go get a stop watch.”

After his NFL career, Guy considered a number of businessopportunities. In 1990, he was in the wood treating business inGeorgia. The hours were long and travel extended.

Last November he began working for USM through the president’soffice. “I wanted an opportunity to do what I do best…run mymouth.”

Working with the USM Alumni Association, Guy makes numerouspublic appearances. “I relate to young people. I explain to you insimple terms what and where Southern Miss is going.”

He said USM will celebrate its centennial in 2010. Plans areunder way for the 100th birthday bash.

Currently, the Southern Miss football team (2-5, 0-3) isstruggling under new head coach Larry Fedora. They are scoring lotsof points but still losing close games. The latest setback was a45-40 loss at Rice last Saturday in Houston.

They seek their first Conference USA win of the season Saturdayat Memphis, another struggling team.

“I believe we can beat Memphis,” said Guy. “We are this close toturning the corner,” holding up his left hand and showing a 2-inchgap between his thumb and forefinger.

Guy said the Eagles lost their entire defensive line tograduation. Freshmen and sophomores are being counted on to fillthe front trench.

“We had a great recruiting year and we have some very good youngplayers,” said Guy. “I know we are going to have another great yearrecruiting.”

Looking over the crowd, Guy encouraged fans to support theathletic program, especially the football team. “Don’t get up andleave at halftime. That’s got to be one of the most dishearteningthings when a team comes back out after halftime and sees thestands are half-empty.”

Guy said the players are dedicated to being successful. “Thesekids will not give up. They will fight you to the end. We need youin the stands.”

Write to sports editor Tom Goetz, c/o The DAILY LEADER, P.O. BOX551, Brookhaven, MS 39602, or e-mail sports@dailyleader.com