Senior Gameday Program Feature - Christian Brinser
10/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Christian Brinser
By Michelle Hantak, Mizzou Strategic Communications
Senior punter Christian Brinser always knew he wanted to play football at the University of Missouri. Hailing from Liberty, Mo., Brinser grew up a Tiger fan as both his parents attended Mizzou. His father walked on to the Tiger football team from 1980-82 before finishing his career at William Jewell.
At Liberty High School, Brinser served as a three-time captain and was a two-time first team All-State pick by the A.P. and Coaches Association his junior and senior seasons. He was selected to play in the Missouri-Kansas All-Star Game after connecting on 48-of-50 extra points during his senior season. Brinser also broke a school record with a 73-yard punt.
After finishing his career at Liberty, Brinser had scholarship offers from numerous Division II programs, but didn't think that he would be happy going to a smaller school. Even though Brinser knew his father faced the similar challenging path of walking on at Mizzou, he knew it was the right decision to make.
"Missouri was always a big thought in my mind when I was growing up," Brinser said. "I've always had that mindset of going big and Division II just wasn't going to do it for me. I really wanted to see what I would be able to do here."
Brinser said that as a walk-on for Mizzou, you're welcomed immediately and expected to contribute, especially among the specialists. On the special teams unit, almost everyone was a walk-on so the competition to earn playing time was intense. Brinser said that living with and hanging out with other walk-ons kept him motivated as they all put in extra work in hopes of earning playing time.
Brinser was unable to secure the starting role early on his career, but that only pushed him to work harder to achieve his goal to be the starting punter for Mizzou Football.
"After I didn't get the spot my redshirt freshman year, I went into it with the mindset that I was going to prepare myself for when I was a junior," Brinser said. "I was going to work out more, do extra leg strengthening and stay after practice to kick. I wanted to make sure that when my time came, I would be ready."
The effort eventually paid off as Brinser earned the starting spot in 2013, something he was extremely thankful for. Because of his hard work, Brinser was an integral member of one of the most successful football teams in Missouri history. During 2013, Brinser averaged 41 yards per punt and kept opponents behind the 20-yard line 26 times to assist the Tigers to a 12-2 record, the SEC Eastern Division Championship and a Cotton Bowl victory.
"It was a surreal experience because getting to play in front of 70,000 people every game is something to be impressed by and very happy about," Brinser said. "I also knew that I earned it because I worked at it and put in thousands of hours of work."
Although he was ready to take on the starting role, Brinser learned a lot during the 2013 season. Some of Brinser's challenges came from inexperience and others came from the nature of his position. As a punter, Brinser has less time and attempts to make an impact on the game so one error can be haunting. However, he believes that the lessons he learned last season have made him a better player for his senior campaign.
"The expectation of being perfect is always there because you do have so few opportunities and a punt is so critical to field position," Brinser said. "Last year I let the nerves get to me a little too much and this year I'm going out with a plan. I'm saying that I'm only going to be out there for 30 seconds so I might as well make it count. I need to do what I need to do to help the team out and not worry so much about the outcome, but more about doing it right."
Brinser's performance on the field during 2013 earned him a scholarship for his final season of eligibility that not only impacted him, but also his family.
"It meant everything to my family," Brinser said. "We were so happy that I could go to graduate school and do another year of football."
Brinser has also performed well off the field during his time at Mizzou and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll during 2012 and 2013 for his outstanding performance in the classroom. To Brinser, education is everything, which is why he chose to get his undergraduate degree in education and is currently in a master's program studying educational leadership and policy. His academic experiences have allowed him to develop a passion for promoting education and he hopes to eventually end up working in high school or athletic administration.
"I have seen so many kids that don't make it in the classroom and can't come to a school like this," Brinser said. "I really want to give kids the educational opportunities I had growing up."
Mizzou Football has been a family for Brinser during the past five years and he believes football has given him many tools he will use in future endeavors including time management, responsibility and avoiding excuses.
"It's a brotherhood," Brinser said. "We would do anything for each other and I love these guys more than anything."
Although Brinser realizes that his football days are almost over, he will always cherish his football memories and have the satisfaction of knowing he achieved his lifelong goal of starting for his dream team: The Mizzou Tigers.
