Ray Guy, the first punter to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died Thursday. He was 72.

Southern Mississippi, where Guy starred before becoming the first punter ever taken in the first round of the NFL draft, said he died following a lengthy illness. He had been receiving care in a Hattiesburg-area hospice.

Guy was drafted 23rd overall by Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders in 1973 and played his entire 14-year career with the team, including the final five in Los Angeles (1982-86). He was a three-time All-Pro selection. In 2014, he became the first player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame exclusively for his punting.

“Ray Guy was a football player who punted,” the late John Madden said in 2014 before he presented Guy for induction into the Hall of Fame. “He punted the longest, highest footballs that I had ever seen.”

Guy was selected to the NFL’s 75th anniversary team and the 1970’s all-decade team. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowl selection.

A native of Thomson, Georgia, William Ray Guy is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.

At Southern Mississippi, Guy also played defensive back. He still shares the school single-season record for most interceptions with eight in 1972.

Guy ended his NFL career in 1986 with a streak of 619 punts without having one blocked. But it took nearly three decades for him to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for induction seven times starting in 1992.

Guy’s ability to pin the opponent deep with either high kicks or well-positioned ones was a key part of the success for the great Raiders teams of the 1970s and ’80s.

Saints place Thomas on injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints have decided to place receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve because of a dislocated toe that has not responded well to rehab, coach Dennis Allen said.

While Allen declined to get into specific timelines for Thomas’ recovery, he added, “I don’t anticipate that he’ll be able to return this year.”

Thomas will have missed most of three seasons since his five-year, $96 million extension went into effect in 2020.

He missed more than half of 2020 and all of 2021 because of complications related to ankle surgery.

He played in just three games this season, catching 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns.