One of the most accurate place-kickers in UNM football history is getting national attention for his stellar play for the Lobos.
Senior Vladimir Borombozin has been selected as one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. The award is in its 10th year and is voted on by all Division I head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters from across the country, conference officials, several NFL kickers and all the previous Lou Groza Award winners.
Borombozin is the most accurate kicker in school history, making 80 percent of his field goals on 20-of-25 attempts.
The selection seems well deserved considering that he is having an outstanding season so far, having connected on all 10 of his field goal attempts. Dating back to last year, he has made 12 straight field goals, breaking a school record. He broke the school record by connecting on a 33-yarder against Air Force Academy Saturday during the Lobos' 52-33 win.
Borombozin has 100 points in his career, including 49 this season, which ranks him sixth in scoring among all players and third among kickers in the Mountain West Conference at seven points per game. He also ranks 18th in the nation with 1.43 field goal makes per game. The award is named for NFL Hall-of-Fame kicker Lou Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named the NFL Player of the Year in 1954.
Nicknamed "The Toe," Groza was one of the first people to make kicking an art form and helped introduce the idea that a football player could be used exclusively for kicking.
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The three finalists for the Lou Groza Award will be announced Nov. 12.
Staff Report
