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Vincenzo D’Amato Named Lou Groza Award Semifinalist

by calbears.com
Nov 4, 2013

 @CalFootball |  @CalCoachDykes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Senior Vincenzo D’Amato was named a semifinalist Monday for the 2013 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Orange Bowl Committee.

“I am very honored to have made this list of semifinalists,” said D’Amato, who was one of 20 players chosen nationally. “I have been fortunate to have a lot of support from family, friends, teammates and coaches.”

D’Amato was previously named a Phil Steele fourth-team Midseason All-American and second-team Midseason All-Pac-12 selection last month. In addition, he is one of 30 candidates for the prestigious Senior Class Award.

D'Amato is tied fourth in the Pac-12 and tied for 18th nationally with an average of 1.56 field goals made per contest. D’Amato has connected on 14 of 17 attempts to rank fourth in the Pac-12 and tied for 43rd nationally in field goal percentage (82.4%). D’Amato leads the team in scoring with 65 points and has moved within 13 points of his career-high 78 last season.

D’Amato, who entered the 2013 campaign as Cal’s lone returning first-team All-Pac-12 selection, is the Golden Bears’ active career leader with 195 points, making 37-of-52 field goals (71.2%) and 84-of-88 extra-point attempts (95.5%) since beginning his collegiate career at Cal in 2009.

Semifinalists for the Groza Award will be voted on by FBS head coaches and SIDs, past Groza finalists, and national and regional football writers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced on November 25 and honored at the 22nd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 10 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The winner will be announced live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Thursday, December 12 in Orlando, Fla.

The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in football history, Lou Groza, who played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

NOTES …
*Cal concludes its home season against USC this Saturday, Nov. 9 (Noon, FOX). The USC contest will also serve as Senior Day and the annual Joe Roth Game.

*The Pac-12 announced Monday that the Cal-Colorado game at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 16 will kick off at 3:30 p.m. MT/2:30 p.m. PT. The contest will be televised live by Pac-12 Networks.

*Cal will close out its 2013 season at Stanford in the 116th Big Game on Saturday, Nov. 23. Telecast information and a kickoff time are scheduled to be announced either 12 or six days in advance of the contest.

*Audio broadcasts of all Cal football games are available on KGO 810 AM, the Cal IMG Sports Network, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and online at CalBears.com via TuneIn.

*Cal football tickets are available online at CalBears.com or (800) GO-BEARS.

*Pac-12 Networks’ docu-series The Drive is offering an exclusive season-long look inside the 2013 campaigns of the Arizona State and Cal football programs. New episodes of The Drive debut throughout the football season each Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT across all seven networks. The next episode will make its debut Wednesday, November 6. Visit Pac-12.com for the complete Pac-12 Networks television listings and to find out when to watch The Drive and check out previous episodes.

*An informational guide to gameday at Memorial Stadium can be found online at CalBears.com/gameday.

*Fans can visit CalBears.com and various award-winning social media pages for comprehensive coverage of Cal football with a wide array of engaging content. Find out more by visiting …

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