Tiffin a Groza finalist

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama senior kicker Leigh Tiffin is one of three finalists for the 2009 Lou Groza Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Monday afternoon. The Groza Award is presented annually to the top kicker in college football.

Tiffin is joined by UCLA's Kai Forbath and Georgia's Blair Walsh as the finalists for this year's award.

The Muscle Shoals native is the Crimson Tide's all-time leading scorer with 362 career points. He has successfully converted 128 extra points and 78 field goals in his UA career. Tiffin is also tied with Phillip Doyle for the most field goals in school history with 78. He tied the career mark in Alabama's win over Chattanooga last weekend. His 128 career extra points are the fourth-most in school history, trailing his father Van's all-time record of 135 extra points from 1983-86.

Tiffin has also tied the Alabama single-season record with 25 made field goals this season. He also made 25 field goals as a sophomore in 2007, breaking Doyle's single-season record of 24 field goals set in 1990. Tiffin ranks second on the school's single-season scoring list for kickers for 109 points this season.

A three-time Groza Award "Star of Stars" winner this season, Tiffin is second among NCAA kickers in total field goals made (25) and field goals made per game (2.27) this season. He is also second nationally in scoring this season among kickers with 9.91 points per game.