At a luncheon in Houston it was announced: ISU kicker Bret Culbertson will be on full scholarship for his junior and senior year. People who learn of this news are shocked for one of two reasons. They’re either shocked that Iowa State gives full rides to kickers, or shocked that it took this long for him to get it.

I tend to agree with the latter.

A walk-on from Lincoln High School in Des Moines, Culbertson decided to try to make the team. When the kicking game was at an all-time low, he got his shot. I went to high school with Culbertson, so when he stepped on the field I was happier than Joe Paterno when they tell him it’s nap time.

The fans around me were wondering why I was so excited. Their eyes reflected their confusion. They were trying to sound out his last name. They just wanted to know one thing: Who is Bret Culbertson?

But I had faith. I saw him make a 64-yarder in a scrimmage. Yeah, that’s when you’re standing on the other side of the 50-yard line attempting a field goal. He made his first three attempts for Iowa State, and ever since then he has remained the starting place kicker for the Cyclones.

You might be wondering why. You may be criticizing him or taking him for granted. But the stats do not lie. After his first two years, he is 20-for-26. It took a calculator for this writer, but that’s more than 75 percent. He is also 50-for-50 on extra point tries – which is especially refreshing for ISU fans. I think I speak for everyone when I say the worst sound you can hear at Jack Trice Stadium is the thud of the goalposts on an extra point attempt. When your team misses an extra point, it gives you the same feeling as when someone buys you a beer, only to find out it’s O’Doul’s. Good situation, but could be better.

If Culbertson makes his next extra point try, he will set the ISU record for consecutive extra points made (knock on wood). He has totaled 110 points in less than two years.

All of this, and we got his services for free.

Once you look at the facts, you would have to be crazy to deny Culbertson a scholarship. It’d be like eating without paying, taking without thanking or giving Tony Yelk a scholarship for a sixth year to do kickoffs while Bret was kicking field goals and taking out loans to pay for school. Wait – that last one happened.

Culbertson is humble with his success, and he takes his misses like a man. When the media asks him about his failed attempts, he blames nobody but himself. Who else would you rather hand out the money to?

What a story for a guy who wasn’t recruited. This is the kind of athlete you should pull for. So instead of crossing your fingers next year when Culbertson takes the field, cheer for the walk-on who earned his right to a full ride. Don’t worry boys and girls – our kicking game is in good hands.

– Ward Phillips is a sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication from Des Moines.