Jonathan Ruffin capped a remarkable sophomore season at the University of Cincinnati by winning the 2000 Lou Groza Award. Ruffin led the nation with 26 field goals on 29 attempts, the sixth-highest single-season total in NCAA history. He set a school record by making at least one field goal in every game and he connected on four field goals in a single game twice, against Tulane and UAB. At the completion of his college career, Ruffin’s name was all over the Bearcats’ record book. He currently is first in school history in virtually every kicking and scoring category, including ranking as Cincinnati’s all-time leader in field goals made, with 62, and scoring, with 315 points.

After being a semifinalist his freshman and sophomore seasons, Seth Marler finally broke through as a junior and won the Lou Groza Award. Marler made 15 of the 16 field goal attempts he made (the only miss was blocked) and connected on 39 of 40 extra points. He went three for three on kicks longer than 50 yards, including a 53-yarder against East Carolina that was the second-longest field goal in Green Wave history. Marler’s field goal percentage of 93.8% shattered the previous school mark by more than 10 percent. Marler finished his career at Tulane in 2002 as the most prolific kicker ever to wear a Green Wave jersey, making 66 field goals during his four years in New Orleans.