Rhys Lloyd

Rhys John Lloyd (pronounced "Reece") (born June 5, 1982 in Dover, England) is an American football kickoff specialist who is currently a member of the Carolina Panthers. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Minnesota.

Lloyd has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers and the now-defunct Frankfurt Galaxy.

Early years
Lloyd attended Astor Secondary School in Dover (now Astor College for the Arts) before moving to the States with his parents.

Lloyd attended Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota and lettered in football and soccer. In football, as a senior, he was an All-Conference selection and an All-State selection. In soccer, he was an All-State selection.

College career
Lloyd was the placekicker, kickoff man and punter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2003 to 2004. Rhys was also a two-time All-American placekicker for Rochester Community and Technical College. He was famous for his rugby-style punting, amazing concentration under pressure and long-distance field goals. Teammates referred to Lloyd by the nickname "Winston Churchill", after the British prime minister who led the United Kingdom through World War II. Lloyd is best remembered for a 42-yard field goal in the dying seconds of the 2003 Sun Bowl to beat the University of Oregon 31-30.

Awards

 * Lou Groza Award candidate,
 * Honorable-mention All-American
 * Big Ten's best pressure player by Street & Smith

First stint with Ravens
Lloyd entered the NFL draft, but had to sign as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 draft with the Baltimore Ravens, who released him before the start of the regular season.

Green Bay Packers
On April 10, 2006, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers; however, he was subsequently released on May 1, 2006.

Frankfurt Galaxy
Rhys was signed by the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFL Europa in 2007. He was named the NFL Europa special teams player of the week in week 3 by tying the league record for the longest field goal in League history with a 56 yarder. Lloyd had signed with the Frankfurt Galaxy at the conclusion of NFL Europa kicking camp in Tampa, Florida. He played the 2006-2007 season in Europe and then and came back to the US.

Second stint with Ravens
Lloyd signed with the Baltimore Ravens again as a free agent in 2007 and made an impressive 55 yard field goal in the Ravens preseason finale against Atlanta and, subsequently, survived the Ravens final cut and signed with the team for the regular season as a kicker. He went back and forth between being on the active roster, on the practice squad, and being a free agent.

Carolina Panthers
Lloyd was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on December 26, 2007. He signed a multi-year contract with the team in 2008. The Panthers used Lloyd primarily as a kickoff specialist, with veteran placekicker John Kasay handling the field goal duties. Lloyd led the NFL in 2008 in touchbacks on kickoffs with 30 on the season.

Minnesota Vikings
Lloyd signed with the Minnesota Vikings on March 8, 2010. This deal put him back near his alma mater Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

He was released by the Vikings on September 4, 2010.

Second stint with Carolina
Carolina signed Rhys Lloyd on September 14, 2010. Their previous kickoff starter, Todd Carter (who started the first game of the Panthers 2010 season) was suffering from back spasms, and was cut to allow roster space for Lloyd.