Kicking at Tech

While I gave a tiny bit of thought to continuing my kicking career in college, I was truthfully tired of the daily practices lasting from August to Thanksgiving. Attending Georgia Tech games, I focused on the chunky freshman walkon kicker from Atlanta, Johnny Smith. A straight-on kicker like me, his leg was a little stronger than mine. Got to know him in the math class we shared.

With Grant Field open to students during the week, I would sometimes walk over and kick there on the Astroturf. Once the school sponsored a student field goal kicking contest, and friend Tom Jones and I signed up. Out of practice, neither of us won, but I made it through several rounds of the rainy afternoon competition.

The next few years I kicked for the intramural team, and I only saw one other team kick field goals. I also enjoyed blocking from the fullback position. In my best game I opened the scoring with a one yard scoring sweep to the left corner, and kicked the point after. I added two field goals. Late in the game, it was decided to pass to my roommate Warren Hammonds, the halfback. Warren was covered on the play, so QB Randy Rhodes threw to his secondary receiver…me. I caught the ball and stepped into the end zone, scoring all the points in our 19-0 victory. But the play that gave me the most satisfaction in the game was an early pass play. The little linebacker blitzed, and I stepped up and hit him a good one. He didn’t blitz the rest of the game!

Living in the Baptist Center afforded me the chance to kick in the large meeting room, at night when few students were around. Luckily I never broke a light fixture! However convenient, it was still unadvised, as the ball would leave marks high on the walls and ceiling. I eventually had to climb a ladder and wash off the marks.

Eventually my leg did get stronger. On a blustery day I walked over to Rose Bowl field for another solitary kicking session. After many shorter kicks I paced off a fifty yard field goal, and made one…a career long.

As the years wore on I fell further and further out of practice. Once I kicked with UGA backup Paul Frate at the Dunwoody High field, and a few times on the North Fulton field with Lang. Though I can still kick somewhat respectably to Will on the driveway, it’s a far cry from the glory days.