Fo otb all
It’s a Real Kick!
football kicks and kickers
Text by Joanne M. Anderson Photos courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics Dept. As a football game unfolds, the fans watch the snap, the run, the pass, the handoff, the play execution as team members in different positions move every which way. Someone simply cannot watch every player every second. But when the place kicker or punter steps onto the field, all eyes are trained on him. He might stand out on foul weather days for having the cleanest uniform on the gridiron. Pressure? Oh yeah. Important? You bet. Place kickers in the National Football League are billed as the most important players for being the highest scoring ones. They get the most opportunities to score and those extra points and 3-point field goals add up. Adam Vinatieri, 47, holds the record with having scored 2,673 points. His longest field goal is 57 yards, and his field goal 10
NRV MAGAZINE
success average is 83.8%. Something to aspire to. And aspire they do. The Virginia Tech team’s kickers this year are: • Brian Johnson, #93, redshirt senior from Washington, D.C.; finished last season with an 82.6% field goal success rate, not missing any one of them inside of 40 yards. • Oscar Bradburn, #91, senior from Sydney, Australia; set a VT singleseason record with 46.5-yard gross punting average last year; longest punt in 2019 69 yards. • John Parker Romo, #96, senior from Peachtree City, GA; made 69 kickoffs last season plus a longest punt of 58 yards. Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society.
• Mark Applegate, #92, redshirt freshman from Fairfax, VA; multiple allstate and all-region kicker accolades plus all-region and all-district punter. Soccer player. Kicking has not always enjoyed its own keen, well-trained, seriously-focused personalities. Even in the late 1960s, a running back or back-up quarterback or offensive tackle would get out and kick the ball when necessary. He was referred to as the team’s “toe” when called upon. Before the game, someone might ask: “Who is your ‘toe’ today?” Then the true kicking position evolved along with an appreciation for the points a kicker can add to the score and all the difference it can make in standings, bowl games and championships.
S eptemb er/Octob er 2020
