July 9, 2015
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - San Diego State senior Donny Hageman is one of 30 players on the 2015 watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, as announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Hailing from Covina, California, Hageman enters the 2015 campaign as one of just seven returning FBS kickers who made at least 20 field goals with an accuracy of at least 80 percent. After playing two seasons at Mt. San Antonio College, Hageman arrived on campus last year and went on to make 20-of-25 field-goal attempts. The 20 field goals set an Aztec single-season record.
Hageman is the fourth Aztec to be considered for the Lou Groza Award and first since 2011 when Abelardo Perez was a preseason candidate. In 1996, Peter Holt was a finalist for the award and was followed by J.C. Mejia when he was a 2003 semifinalist.
Kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List were chosen based on statistics from the 2014 season and 2015 expectations. All 10 FBS conferences are represented among the 30 kickers and Hageman is the lone player recognized from the Mountain West.
Semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award will be announced Nov. 5, 2015, while the three finalists will be unveiled Nov. 23, 2015. The winner of the 2015 Lou Groza Award will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 10, 2015.
The 24th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl Committee, recognizes the three finalists during an early week celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on Dec. 7, 2015, prior to joining ESPN in Atlanta.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
SDSU football season tickets and mini-plans are on sale now. They can be purchased at GoAztecs.com, by calling (619) 283-7378 or visiting the Aztec Athletic Ticket Office at Qualcomm Stadium Window E.
San Diego State, one of 27 schools to play in a bowl game each of the last five seasons and one of just three from the "Group of 5" conferences, finished 2014 with a 7-6 record and 5-3 in MW action. To date, four preseason publications have the Aztecs winning the West Division of the Mountain West in 2015.