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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss' Nichols Wins 2003 Lou Groza Award
12/9/2003 | Football
Dec. 9, 2003
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Ole Miss junior place kicker Jonathan Nichols was named the 2003 Lou Groza Award winner, presented to the nation's top place kicker, Tuesday evening during a ceremony at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott.
Nichols was one of three finalists for the award and beat out Oklahoma's Trey DiCarlo and Iowa's Nate Kaeding. He will now travel to Orlando, Fla., for the ESPN Home Depot Awards Show on Thursday.
A first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by The Associated Press and the SEC Coaches, Nichols has set 15 school records this season. He is Ole Miss' leading scorer with a school season record with 117 points, having connected on 24-of-28 field goals and all 45 PAT attempts. Nichols' 24 field goals is also an Ole Miss season record and is tied for third on the SEC's single-season list.
Nichols also became Ole Miss' career leader in points scored and field goals during the Rebels' 9-3 campaign and helped Ole Miss claim a piece of its first-ever SEC Western Division title.
"First of all we're extremely proud of Jonathan and his accomplishments," said Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe. "He's the perfect example of a young man that has worked very hard and now he is seeing it pay off."
Nichols will enter Ole Miss' 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic against Oklahoma State leading the SEC and ranking 10th in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. He also leads the conference in field goal percentage (85.7 percent) and ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally in field goals made per game (2.0).
"I'm very honored to win such a prestigious award," Nichols said. "To be the named the top kicker out of 117 NCAA Division I-A schools is very exciting. I couldn't have done it without my teammates. My snapper, holder and line have been tremendous all season long and they're just as much as part of winning this award as I am."
The 17th-ranked Rebels and 23rd-ranked Cowboys will meet in the 2004 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday, January 2, 2004 at 1 p.m., in Dallas. The game will be televised by FOX and will mark Ole Miss' first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1962.