Kody Bliss
Encyclopedia
Kody Andrew Bliss is an American football
punter. He attended Brentwood Academy
in Brentwood, Tennessee
before signing in 2003 to play collegiately
at Auburn University
.
watchlist his senior year. During the 2006 season, he led the Southeastern Conference
with 46.1 yards per punt
and also had 12 downed inside the 20-yard line. This performance earned him second team All-SEC
honors from the AP
and the SEC Coaches
for the third time, having been named All-Conference for every year since his sophomore season. He also earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week against LSU
.
During his career at Auburn, Bliss totalled 202 punts for 8,861 yards. He finished third in Auburn history with a 43.3 yard per punt average. Bliss' career long was a 71 yard boot versus Tulane
, but he had punts of over 60 yards in all four seasons.
DraftShowcase.com ranked Bliss as the second best punter available for the 2007 NFL Draft
, while Scout.com have him as the 4th overall. After a strong showing in the 82nd annual East-West Shrine Game
, USA Today
wrote that "Bliss can punt long, high and with accuracy. If any punter is selected in this draft, Bliss is among the first three with a chance".
by the NFL and subsequently signed with the Canadian Football League
's Edmonton Eskimos
. Bliss was ultimately unable to unseat longtime Eskimos veteran and native-Canadian Sean Fleming to make the roster and was released on June 23, 2007.
's Team Alabama.
, a recognition program for players who excel both on the field and in the classroom. Bliss graduated with a degree in marketing and earned a 3.45 cumulative GPA.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter. He attended Brentwood Academy
Brentwood Academy
Brentwood Academy is a college preparatory school with a campus located in Brentwood, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. Brentwood Academy is a coeducational, independent, college-preparatory school....
in Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
before signing in 2003 to play collegiately
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Auburn University
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
.
College career
While at Auburn, Bliss was on the Ray Guy AwardRay Guy Award
The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, a former All-American at Southern Mississippi and an all-pro player for the Oakland Raiders.-Criteria:...
watchlist his senior year. During the 2006 season, he led the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
with 46.1 yards per punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
and also had 12 downed inside the 20-yard line. This performance earned him second team All-SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
honors from the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and the SEC Coaches
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
for the third time, having been named All-Conference for every year since his sophomore season. He also earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week against LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
.
During his career at Auburn, Bliss totalled 202 punts for 8,861 yards. He finished third in Auburn history with a 43.3 yard per punt average. Bliss' career long was a 71 yard boot versus Tulane
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
, but he had punts of over 60 yards in all four seasons.
DraftShowcase.com ranked Bliss as the second best punter available for the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, while Scout.com have him as the 4th overall. After a strong showing in the 82nd annual East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote that "Bliss can punt long, high and with accuracy. If any punter is selected in this draft, Bliss is among the first three with a chance".
CFL
Despite the ratings, Bliss went undraftedUndrafted
An undrafted sportsperson or undrafted free agent is specific type of sportsperson who plays, or attempts to play, in a professional sports league without first being selected in a draft....
by the NFL and subsequently signed with the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
. Bliss was ultimately unable to unseat longtime Eskimos veteran and native-Canadian Sean Fleming to make the roster and was released on June 23, 2007.
AAFL
It was recently announced that Bliss was among those to be protected by the All American Football LeagueAll American Football League
The All American Football League was a proposed professional American football league. The league, which was to combine a professional pay structure with the requirement that all players be college graduates, had originally been scheduled to start in the spring of 2007, but later postponed its...
's Team Alabama.
Personal life
Bliss was among the inaugural class of 345 inductees into the National Football Foundation's National Honor SocietyNational Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
, a recognition program for players who excel both on the field and in the classroom. Bliss graduated with a degree in marketing and earned a 3.45 cumulative GPA.
See also
- 2006 Auburn Tigers football team2006 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2006 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Head coach Tommy Tuberville served his eighth season at Auburn, the third longest tenure among current SEC head coaches that year...
- 2005 Auburn Tigers football team2005 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2005 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Despite having four starters from the 2004 team selected in the first round of 2005 NFL Draft, Auburn finished the season with a 9–3 record, including a 7–1 record in the Southeastern...
- 2004 Auburn Tigers football team2004 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2004 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn compiled a record of 13–0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and finishing the season ranked #2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll...
- 2003 Auburn Tigers football team2003 Auburn Tigers football teamThe 2003 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Auburn began the season with high expectations, but stumbled out of the gate before finishing the season with a disappointing 8–5 record, including a 5–3 record in the SEC, good for...