 One member of the Wisconsin Wolfpack will watch the National Football League (NFL) draft this weekend with more than a passing interest. Kicker Tony Smidl, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, is draft-eligible. While it's a long shot that Smidl will hear his name called during the seven rounds of the NFL draft, which begins Thursday, there's a good chance he could receive a phone call in the days following the draft. Smidl's story is one of great perseverance and patience. A soccer player for much of his life, Smidl picked up football during his senior year at Oshkosh West High School. After just four weeks on the team, Smidl broke his kicking ankle right before homecoming. "After that, I figured it was over," said Smidl. "I didn't think I'd kick again." Smidl focused on selecting the right university, one where he could major in industrial engineering. He looked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan Tech University, and Platteville. He chose Platteville and decided to give football another chance. He walked on and grey-shirted his freshman year. Smidl beat out stiff competition in his first year of eligibility and did reasonably well, converting 30 of 31 point-after attempts and was 2-5 in field goals. Following his first season, Smidl attended the Aguiar Kicking Camp, run by former NFL kicker Louie Aguiar. Smidl says Aguiar taught him how to kick straight and he just built off of that foundation. "Everything really started to come together in 2007," said Smidl. "I really began focusing on my kicking and became a student of the game." In his next two seasons, Smidl converted 15 of 24 field goals and missed just three extra point attempts. Smidl really stepped up his game in 2009, converting 15 of 19 field goal attempts and hitting on all 20 of his extra point attempts. Smidl earned Second Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region honors following his senior season. He also became the first Platteville player since 2001 to earn Division 3 All-American honors.  Smidl finished his collegiate career at Platteville with six school records, including most field goals in a game (4), season (15), and career (32). Smidl finished his career as the fifth all-time leading scorer in Pioneer history.
Following the football season, Smidl played in the Division 3 Senior Classic in Salem, Virginia, and the All-American Bowl in Minneapolis. Smidl was 4-4 on field goals in the All-American Bowl game, with a long of 44 yards. Shortly thereafter, he signed with an agent and attended the Aguiar/Husted Pro Camp in Las Vegas at the end of March. The camp is sponsored by the National Combine Series and is an annual event operated by NFL players and coaches. Smidl was the lone Division 3 kicker to participate in the combine and finished third among the draft-eligibile players that participated. "To be in the top with all those scholarship kickers that came from big name schools like Nevada, South Florida, and North Alabama felt great," said Smidl. "I don't have the atmosphere that they do with 80,000 fans in the stands, but how many of them have the experience of kicking the ball in cold weather?" Finishing in the top five at the camp was important because it meant that former NFL kicker Michael Husted would talk to the NFL scouts in attendance for the camp about Smidl. "Husted evaluated me and he really thinks I can compete to be a starter in the NFL," said Smidl. "That gives me a lot of confidence." It was also Smidl's only opportunity to put himself in front of NFL scouts as he didn't get an invite to the pro day in Madison in early March. "This is my only way to showcase who I am and what I can do," said Smidl. "These scouts probably had no idea who I was until I made the top five and the organizers told them they should take a look at me." Smidl decided to play indoor football for the Wolfpack, even though his agent thought it was a little counter-productive with the low ceiling at the Hartmeyer Arena, where the Wolfpack play all of their home games. "I've always been known for height, not distance," said Smidl who consistently averaged over four seconds of hang time on his kickoffs at the camp. "Since I started playing arena, I've probably been kicking the ball five or ten yards further." Smidl is hoping that a call comes following the NFL draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday. Teams typically sign a few young kickers and bring them into their rookie camp in May. From there, one or two kickers per team might be invited to training camp to compete with the starter, according to Smidl. Should it not work out, Smidl has a backup plan in place, having already landed an engineering job near South Bend, Indiana, for after graduation. The company already agreed to hold the position until October should Smidl make camp with an NFL team. If the call from the NFL doesn't come, however, Smidl is committed to helping the Wolfpack win a Continental Indoor Football League championship this year. "I plan on driving back to Madison for every game," said Smidl. "I'm committed to the Wolfpack and want to win a championship. I'm willing to drive five hours every Saturday to get it done." Smidl has a profile on the National Kicking Combine website at http://combineseries.com/profile.asp?id=1575&eventid=2&gradyear=. The Wolfpack begin a two game homestand this Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Maron Mayhem at the Hartmeyer Arena. It is Stoughton Youth Football Night and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the organization. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.wiwolfpack.com/indoor. Action photo credit: John Staats, Wisconsin Wolfpack |
The Chicago Cardinals of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) are pleased to announce the signing of our first female professional player, kicker Julie Harshbarger. Julie has won a starting job on the Cardinals roster. She will be starting in her first game April 17th, 2010, at the Odeum in Villa Park as the Chicago Cardinals take on the Miami Valley Silverbacks.
Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Donovan will be a guest judge at the Pepsi Max Wild Things dance team tryouts for the Wisconsin Wolfpack. The tryouts will be held on Friday, March 19, 2010, at the Coliseum Bar in Madison, Wis. The tryouts begin at 7 p.m.
Following his senior season, Donovan was signed as a free agent by the Edminton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was in their camp but didn't make the team or practice squad as the Eskimos already had three established quarterbacks.
