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USF's Nico Gramatica named to Lou Groza Award watch list
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- USF's Nico Gramatica named to Lou Groza Award watch list
Nico Gramatica | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Nico Gramatica, the latest incarnation of the renowned Gramatica family to make their mark as college and pro kickers, was named to the prestigious Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award watch list .
The award is named for the Hall of Fame place-kicker and tackle who played his 21-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns . Gramatica joins a list of 35 collegiate kickers identified by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission as the cream of the collegiate kicking crop.
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Gramatica was second team American All-Conference last season in his first as the Bulls' starting kicker. He went 18-of-24 on field goal attempts, tying for the fourth-best field goal total in program history , and added 59-of-60 on extra point attempts. That total set a program record.
His season will be best remembered for his performance in USF's 18-16 win at No. 13 Florida, the first win over the Gators in Bulls' history. He had a 52-yarder in that game and then drilled a 20-yard field goal at the gun to secure the victory.
Nico is the third member of the Gramatica family to kick for the Bulls. His uncles -- Bill and Santiago Gramatica -- also are Bulls' alums.
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Bill began his career at Florida State before transferring to USF in 1998 after one season with the Seminoles.
With the Bulls, he had 36 career field goals 85 extra points. He also kicked a 63-yard field goal , which still stands as a team record.
He was drafted in 2001 in the fourth round by the Arizona Cardinals . He later kicked for the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena League.
Santiago kicked for USF from 2001-04 and hit on 38 of 63 field goal tries.
Martin Gramatica, of course, got the party started for the family. After four seasons at Kansas State, he spent nine years in the NFL, starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1999 until 2004. He was a key member of the Bucs' 2003 Super Bowl championship team.
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That year he was 23 of 29 on field goal tries.
In the Bucs' 48-21 Super Bowl win over the Oakland Raiders, Gramatica was good on both field attempts and was 6-of-6 on extra points.
Oh, the Gramatica beat goes on. Nico's younger brother, Gaston, is a freshman on the Bulls' this season.
Twenty Groza semifinalists will be named on November 17 after tabulations of their performances throughout the season.
From therre, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, sports information directors, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers select the top three finalists.
The winner will be announced on December 10.
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This article was originally published on www.greengoldandbold.com as USF's Nico Gramatica named to Lou Groza Award watch list .
