Senior Feature -- Mike Matheny
9/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2003
Editor's Note: This feature ran in the Sept. 20 edition of the Mizzou football gameday program.
by Emilie Goldman
When you grow up around Mizzou football, it's easy to get swept up in the idea of wearing Black and Gold. Missouri placekicker Mike Matheny knew he wanted to play football for the Tigers but wasn't exactly sure how to get there.
Born and raised in Columbia, Matheny grew up playing many different sports - except football. A self-proclaimed "skinny guy," Matheny enjoyed the pressure of individual sports such as tennis rather than the physicality of contact sports. While attending Rock Bridge High School he competed on a traveling soccer team, ran cross country and was the Bruins' No. 1 singles player on the tennis team. By his senior year, he was ready to give football a try.
The transition to the football field presented Matheny with the challenge of choosing a position.
"My mom wouldn't let me play any other position. I wanted to be a receiver, but she told me to kick," Matheny said.
Looks like she made the right decision. In his first year of playing high school football, Matheny was awarded with first-team All-Conference and first-team All-District honors as a kicker. He also set Rock Bridge's school record with a 48-yard field goal. After seeing what his leg could do, his coaches told him to pursue football on a collegiate level.
In 1999, Matheny spoke with Missouri's coaches, but they had too many walk-on players that year. He considered other offers and chose Division III Westminister College in Fulton. After making 54 of 56 extra points and being named first-team All-Conference kicker, coaches encouraged him to move up to Division I.
Although he knew he was ready to be a Tiger, Matheny took a year off from school to work full-time and decide on an academic major. He spent the year painting and doing maintenance for a local realtor, but the time away from the field made him anxious to get back. He took advantage of the coaching change at Missouri and gave the team a call.
"They didn't have a kicker, and I was good enough, so I tried out and walked on,' Matheny said.
 Mike Matheny is 3-for-4 on the season after hitting a pair of field goals, including the game-winning extra point from 36 yards out, against Middle Tennessee on Saturday.  |
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The pressure of starting as a Division I kicker can be overwhelming, but Matheny's experience with individual sports helped get him through stressful situations.
"To calm down I put songs in my head. I will picture the kick along with the song and then just go out there and do it. It helps me to focus on the good, not the bad," Matheny said.
He certainly needed to calm down when he made his first appearance as a Tiger. His field goal attempt for 42 yards against Ball State didn't exactly go as planned.
"In front of 60,000 people I dubbed my first kick which was not one of my high points, but I came back and proved that I could do it," Matheny said.
The pressure doesn't always come from teammates and coaches.
"It is just an adjustment kicking in front of fans," Matheny said. "You don't want fans to be mad at you because the worst thing is to walk around and have people know you as the one who missed the kick."
Although his debut wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, Matheny established himself as the team's kicker the following week against Troy State by making 3-of-3 field goals. He went on to nail a 40-yard field goal in the first overtime against Texas A&M. The team went on to win the game in double overtime.
The addition of Matheny has helped stabilize Missouri's special teams. Last year, he made 9-of-13 field goals, including a 44-yard shot. He made 40 of 42 extra points and was the second-highest scorer on the team with 67 points.
It also helps Matheny to have family around to alleviate some of the pressures of the job. Despite having a year of experience, the honorable mention All-Big 12 kicker struggled in the preseason leading up to this year's season opener against Illinois. Matheny struggled with his accuracy during spring practices, resulting in Alex Pettersen's promotion to the No. 1 job heading into the preseason.
"When I was in a slump, my parents came out to help me through it. My dad lives for sports and always helps me figure out what I am doing wrong," Matheny said.
After working out the kinks in his steps, Matheny found his rhythm. He gradually improved during the preseason and reclaimed his job the week before Missouri's win over Illinois.
With a new confidence in his kicking leg, Matheny knows his year will be a productive one. While football dominates most of his time, Matheny realizes the importance of studying. A hotel and restaurant management major, he hopes to own his own business some day.
"I want to be able to make my own hours and do something that I really like," Matheny said.
This is his last year playing football for the Tigers, but Matheny has one additional year until he finishes his degree.
"I want to be a student for awhile. I haven't had the chance to just be a college kid," Matheny said. "I want to have fun before I have to go into the real world."
Matheny won't be going too far away from the football field. His younger sister might need his help.
"She's trying to be a kicker. She wants to be the first girl kicker at MU," Matheny said.
Even though his sister might replace him on the field some day, he will always remember his time as a Tiger. His dream of wearing the Black and Gold came true and he will look back and remember the friends he made, the games he won, and the fans that cheered him to victory.
