--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was playing in the league when Ray Guy…" description: "\"I was playing in the league when Ray Guy was playing in the league. He was the best kicker I've ever seen. He could bullet that ball 70 yards.\" — Gale ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/gale-sayers-20373_ball_i-was-playing-in-the-league-when-ray-guy_77336.png" --- # I was playing in the league when Ray Guy was playing in… ![“I was playing in the league when Ray Guy was playing in the league. He was the best kicker I've ever seen. He could bullet that ball 70 yards.” quote by Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/gale-sayers-20373_ball_i-was-playing-in-the-league-when-ray-guy_77336.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/gale-sayers-20373_ball_i-was-playing-in-the-league-when-ray-guy_77336.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/gale-sayers-20373_ball_i-was-playing-in-the-league-when-ray-guy_77336.png) > “I was playing in the league when Ray Guy was playing in the league. He was the best kicker I've ever seen. He could bullet that ball 70 yards.” [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker recalls a past football era, highlighting Ray Guy's exceptional punting distance and skill, implying that such talent is rare and memorable. **In simple terms:** Admiration for a legendary punter Key Takeaway Guy set a high bar for punting power Themes sports nostalgia legendary athletes performance excellence comparative skill historical perspective Mood reverent proud admiring Type anecdote testimonial observation When to use this quote - discussing football history - coaching young players - sports broadcasting - writing a sports column - comparing athletes across eras Key Concepts punting distance athletic prowess legacy Practical Applications - illustrating the impact of elite special teams - using Guy's example to motivate players Questions to Reflect On - What makes a punter's skill stand out? - How does era affect perception of athletic feats? 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-every-opponent-i-don-t-know-if-there-s/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [What happens also is that a lot of those people and reporters who vote for Hall of Famers, some of the people who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/what-happens-also-is-that-a-lot-of-those-people-and-reporters-who/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [When you're fighting guys like Rakic, the thing that stands out about Rakic is he's a monster kicker. I mean, he out-kicked Thiago Santos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-smith/when-you-re-fighting-guys-like-rakic-the-thing-that-stands-out-about/) [Anthony Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-smith/) > [I'd love to make the switch over to NFL. I'd love to try it but I'm not really sure what position I'd play. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasper-schmeichel/i-d-love-to-make-the-switch-over-to-nfl-i-d-love-to-try-it-but-i-m/) [Kasper Schmeichel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasper-schmeichel/) > [There is this notion that the kicker is only one or two missed kicks away from being fired and I don't like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-andersen/there-is-this-notion-that-the-kicker-is-only-one-or-two-missed-kicks/) [Morten Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-andersen/) > [Special teams get the shaft when most people talk football. Unless a kicker's bombing a game-winner or a return man is going the distance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-schlereth/special-teams-get-the-shaft-when-most-people-talk-football-unless-a/) [Mark Schlereth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-schlereth/) > [I really love Jean-Claude Van Damme. 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That's the fun thing about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-have-to-admit-i-ve-dreamed-of-kicking-the-game-winning-field-goal/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [I'm not a kicker and a screamer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-m-not-a-kicker-and-a-screamer/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [If you're a punter or a kicker, you don't have a lot of film study to do. There's not a lot of things to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcafee/if-you-re-a-punter-or-a-kicker-you-don-t-have-a-lot-of-film-study-to/) [Pat McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcafee/) > [When you have an opportunity to help your team in crunch time - as a kicker - that's a dream come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/when-you-have-an-opportunity-to-help-your-team-in-crunch-time-as-a/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [In a game where points win, your leading scorer is probably going to be the kicker. And I'm literally doing the most football thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tucker/in-a-game-where-points-win-your-leading-scorer-is-probably-going-to/) [Justin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tucker/) ## More by Gale Sayers > [You need somebody just to say, 'Hey, I'm here for you. Do you need anything?' If you can get somebody like that, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/you-need-somebody-just-to-say-hey-i-m-here-for-you-do-you-need/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [There comes a time when you have to stand up and be counted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/there-comes-a-time-when-you-have-to-stand-up-and-be-counted/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [We must stop the trend of closing schools and building prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/we-must-stop-the-trend-of-closing-schools-and-building-prisons/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [There are some people that probably should be in the Hall of Fame, but they're not for some reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/there-are-some-people-that-probably-should-be-in-the-hall-of-fame-but/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [Football is a very short-term proposition. Football really prepares you for nothing. The only thing I got out of football was the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/football-is-a-very-short-term-proposition-football-really-prepares/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/i-learned-that-if-you-want-to-make-it-bad-enough-no-matter-how-bad-it/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [This is not a football film. It's about two individuals - two good friends telling their story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/this-is-not-a-football-film-it-s-about-two-individuals-two-good/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [What happens also is that a lot of those people and reporters who vote for Hall of Famers, some of the people who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/what-happens-also-is-that-a-lot-of-those-people-and-reporters-who/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [You have to prepare to quit, and this is what I did. I prepared to quit, so on the day that came when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/you-have-to-prepare-to-quit-and-this-is-what-i-did-i-prepared-to-quit/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [We had no preconceived ideas. We were on this football team to go out and win ballgames and try to win a championship, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/we-had-no-preconceived-ideas-we-were-on-this-football-team-to-go-out/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [I had a career that was very short, but it had a lot of thrills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/i-had-a-career-that-was-very-short-but-it-had-a-lot-of-thrills/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [People think I played 10 years. I played 68 ball games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/people-think-i-played-10-years-i-played-68-ball-games/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [Athletes as role models and heroes is a hoax, a sick hoax. The men and women who are fighting in Iraq, they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/athletes-as-role-models-and-heroes-is-a-hoax-a-sick-hoax-the-men-and/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [I ran back punt returns and kickoff returns, and I played a pretty good game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/i-ran-back-punt-returns-and-kickoff-returns-and-i-played-a-pretty/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [I have no idea what I did. I heard people talk about dead leg, shake, change of pace and all that, but I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/i-have-no-idea-what-i-did-i-heard-people-talk-about-dead-leg-shake/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) [Explore all 31 Gale Sayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) ## More Ball quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/sometimes-in-midfield-it-s-nice-because-you-do-get-a-little-bit-more/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [I have no physical genius about me. 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Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [I'm good with the ball, I can score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-bergwijn/i-m-good-with-the-ball-i-can-score/) [Steven Bergwijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-bergwijn/) > [The golf ball doesn't care about know how hard you're working, or how many hours you slept that night. 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