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CATCH UP ON THE COUNTDOWN BY VISITING: ARIZONA’S TOP 100 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
Only 29 days separate us from the start of Rich Rodriguez’s fifth season, when the Arizona Wildcats football team plays Brigham Young on Sept. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
As is customary on this Web site, we will count down the days with an interesting element associated with each day. This year the topic is the top 100 individual records in Arizona’s storied football past.
In past years, we have counted down the top games and highlighted players and some of the top plays in Arizona Wildcats football history. A couple of years ago in our top 100 countdown, we showcased the 1914 team that was responsible for Arizona becoming the “Wildcats”.
Back to this year’s countdown of the top 100 individual records in the 117 years of Arizona football:
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Arizona’s Wally Scott was a two-way athlete for the Wildcats in 1967 as a receiver and defensive back and his athleticism showed with his school-record five blocked kicks that season.
ARIZONA MOST BLOCKED KICKS SEASON
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No. 29
Most Blocked Kicks In A Season: 5, Wally Scott, 1967
Pac-12 record: Not listed in record book
NCAA record: 8, Jimmy Lisko, Arkansas St., 1975; James Francis, Baylor, 1989; James King, Central Mich., 2001
Tucson Citizen photo showing Wally Scott’s third blocked kick against Utah in a 1967 game, all by the second quarter. This one was off an extra-point try.
Two-way athlete extraordinaire Wally Scott (defensive back and receiver) blocked a school-record five kicks in 1967, including three in one game against Utah.
In the last eight seasons, the Wildcats have five blocked kicks as a team.
Scott’s three blocked kicks against Utah (field goal attempt, extra-point try and punt) equal the second-most in a season in school history, achieved by defensive back Greg Boyd in 1971 and quarterback/tight end Peter Hansen in 1999.
“Scott is a whale of a back,” Utah coach Mike Giddings told the Tucson Citizen after the 1967 game, which Arizona lost 33-29 at Arizona Stadium. “Our cornermen on the kicking unit are supposed to yell for help when they think they need it. It took three trips by Scott before they were convinced.”
In the following week, a 42-7 loss against Indiana at Arizona Stadium, Scott blocked two extra-point attempts.
Over an extended period, more than one season, the top kick-blocker in Arizona history is Hansen. His height at 6’7″ positioned in the middle was tough for placekickers to kick over. Hansen had seven blocked kicks in his career — three in 1999 and two each in 1998 and 2000.
Hansen now serves as Stanford’s linebackers coach.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
