DeAngelis Overcomes Obstacles to Make Impact

Sandro DeAngelis truly understands what is meant by the description "up-and-down."

Before this season, the Niagara Falls, Ontario, native had been named Nebraska’s starting place-kicker twice, only to be passed on the depth chart each time during mid-season. In between, he sat out an entire year with an injury.

Most players might get discouraged by a run of luck such as this, but not someone with DeAngelis’ character. Rather than pining on the bench about his obstacles, he did something about it. He went to work.

"He’s a very hard worker, an extremely focused and driven young man," said Scott Downing, who coaches the kickers.

DeAngelis enters his senior season again in the role of starting Husker place-kicker.

He began his redshirt freshman year of 2001 by starting four of the first five games before regular starter Josh Brown returned to finish out the season.

Anxious to compete with Brown for the starting nod in 2002, DeAngelis lost out to the senior in fall camp. He served as backup kicker early in the year, but his season ended after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot in early October.

Looking back, he learned from the injury and the competition.

"(The injury) was pretty tough to go through," DeAngelis said. "I think it was maybe a blessing in disguise because I got to study Josh and how he prepared, and now he’s in the NFL. I think in a way it helped me and made me a more mentally strong kicker."

With his left foot healed, DeAngelis entered fall camp last year entrenched as the No. 1 kicker. After the season’s first two games, he was replaced by freshman David Dyches, who finished the season.

DeAngelis regrouped this summer with hard work and determination and earned the starter’s role back for his senior year, where he went 8-for-8 on extra-point attempts in the season opener last week.

"I’m excited, but I’m trying to stay on an even keel, to not get too high or low," he said. "You have to focus on every kick and treat each one with the utmost importance."

The kicker’s focus can be seen off the football field as well.

DeAngelis is an excellent student, sporting a 3.669 cumulative grade-point average in secondary education/natural science. He will contend for academic All-America honors this season after being named an academic All-Big 12 selection in 2001 and 2003.

He is one of NU’s most active players in the community. A three-time member of the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team, DeAngelis was one of 11 Division I players named to the 2003 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, which honors players for their commitment to community service.

"You’re talking about a top-notch quality man," Downing said. "He’s a guy who gives back to the community, who’s very, very involved. You can’t go to a grade school in town where the kids don’t know who Sandro DeAngelis is."

DeAngelis knows how important a role model can be.

"In 1996, I went to the Army-Navy game and one of Army’s star players gave me his wristbands," he said. "I wore those through my entire high school career to the point where they were falling apart. I remember how special that made me feel. To even be in a position to have kids look up to me is a true honor, and it’s something I enjoy."

Despite his up-and-down career as the Nebraska place-kicker, DeAngelis will never regret turning down the likes of playing for Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida State and Tennessee, each of which offered him a scholarship coming out of high school.

"Nobody’s more proud to where that ?N’ on their helmet than me," he said. "I’ll always look back and 50 years from now, I will be pretty darn proud that I was a Husker."