Sports

Culbertson ready to kick it up a notch

Tommy Birch
August 20, 2007

Three years ago, Bret Culbertson’s name was scripted into ISU football with a pen.

Now, Culbertson, a former walk-on from Des Moines, has his name etched permanently in Cyclone football record books as he enters his senior season as one of the most accurate kickers in ISU history.

“He didn’t join the team until school started [in 2004],” said Tom Kroeschell, director of media relations for ISU athletics. “That’s just how on the fringe this guy was.”

So much so that Kroeschell had no idea who the 6-foot-6 kicker was when the freshman was warming up to kick off against Colorado that year, prompting him to race down to the field to gather enough information to provide to television broadcasters.

“I frantically run downstairs, go down on the field, come up to him, reach up, put my hands on his shoulder pads, and say, ‘What is your name, how do you spell it, what is your hometown and what high school did you attend?'” Kroeschell said.

The answers were written on a piece of paper Kroeschell handed to the broadcasters – Bret Culbertson, Des Moines, Lincoln High School.

Fans also learned quickly who the tall kicker was. In his first season, the freshman hit eight of 10 field goal attempts after taking over kicking duties midway through the year.

In the Cyclones’ matchup with Kansas State in 2004, Culbertson connected on three of four field goal attempts to earn Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

What started out as early success has turned into old news as most Cyclone fans remember Culbertson as the kicker whose missed field goals against Missouri in 2004 and Kansas in 2005 kept Iowa State out of the Big 12 Championship game.

“I just hope fans and coaches remember me as the guy that can get the job done when they need to count on it,” Culbertson said.

Culbertson’s the guy who enters the 2007 season having hit all 74 of his extra point attempts, an ISU record. The guy who has hit 28 of 37 field goal attempts in his career.

But more than anything, Culbertson wants to be the guy who has the ball lined up for him with the game on the line this season.

“I want to be in it bad,” he said. “I want to hit a game winner this year. I think the few misses early in my career made me what I am on the field and off the field.”

Running backs and special teams coordinator Jay Boulware has worked to help continue Culbertson’s success using eight pressure kicks a day, where the defense comes at him full speed.

“He does a great job,” Boulware said.

Kroeschell sees Culbertson as someone who has answered the questions after every missed and made kick.

“He’s always been real accommodating and I think he really does have a maturity that a lot of people don’t have by their senior year,” Kroeschell said. “There’s still a lot of people that don’t have that rock-solid base that he seems to have that allows him to interact with other people, be it media, teammates, coaches or staff.”

Whatever he’s accomplished, Culbertson said he still has some things left to do.

“I do feel like I have some unfinished business and that just gets me excited for the upcoming season,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of heartbreaks, but I’m ready. It’s been behind me for the past year, two years, so I’m ready.”

Bret Culbertson facts