Oct. 2, 2002
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Early in his sophomore season, Western Washington University kicker Michael Koenen has already found his way to a number of spots in the Western football record book.
His success has been impressive, but it is also part of longstanding Viking tradition. Koenen is fifth in a line of Western placekickers that dates back to 1985, when freshman Peter LaBarge dislodged Jeff Gulliford for the job.
"They've all been different, all with a little different styles," said Western assistant coach Terry Todd, who has worked with Viking kickers for 17 seasons, arriving in LaBarge's sophomore season. "But all of them were dedicated, all of them were confident in what they do, and they all love what they're doing."
Beginning with LaBarge, who went on to become the Western Male Athlete of the Century, four Viking placekickers have won the job as freshmen and held it for four years. All four - LaBarge, Dan Clemensen, Wade Gebers and Josh Bailey - earned first-team all-league honors. Gebers was a first-team NAIA All-American in 1995 and 1996.
Koenen, an all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference pick last year as a freshman, seems almost certain to be the fifth to make the position a four-year gig.
"All those talented kickers," said Koenen. "It's cool to keep that going."
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Koenen has done more than keep it going. In his first game last season, he kicked a 54-yard field goal, breaking a LaBarge record by two yards. He had a streak of eight consecutive made field goals, also a school record, end last week when a 37-yard attempt was blocked in a 31-28 win at NCAA I-AA Saint Mary's CA. He opening the season with a 52-yarder in a 24-16 victory at Central Oklahoma.
Koenen was 13-of-19 on field goals last year, 43-of-48 on extra points. He started hot, hitting seven of his first eight field goal attempts, and ended the same way, hitting six straight. In between, he missed six in a row, although four of them were from 50 yards or more.
"My goal for this year is to be more consistent," he said. "From 50 or 55 on in, I want to be as good as I can, which, essentially, is not to miss any."
Two things set Koenen apart from his predecessors. First, he puts kickoffs in the end zone more consistently than any of them. The other is punting, where Koenen is averaging 43.9 yards an attempt this year, and had a school-record 73-yarder against Saint Mary's. Although Clemensen punted for three seasons and Bailey for one, only LaBarge did it all four years, and he was the only one to have Koenen's level of success, being named a first-team NAIA All-American after averaging 42.5 yards a punt in 1988.
"God made Michael a little different," Todd said. "He's just a little quicker with his leg, just a little stronger. But that's not all there is to kicking. We break (huddles) by saying 'consistency,' because that's what kicking is all about, and that's what he's focusing on right now."
