Spring Break
The Daily OrangeStill kickin': Lichtenstein goes from high school goat to Syracuse starter
By Tyler Dunne
Posted: 10/12/09, 10:17 PM EST Section: Sports
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"I didn't even realize Rob picked me up," laughed Lichtenstein, Syracuse freshman place kicker. "He was pretty strong."
Sweet redemption for another kick in his life, a kick he had no control over. As a junior at Gateway (Pa.) High School, Lichtenstein missed an extra point in overtime. In the state championship game. The opponent, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, scored, made their extra point and Gateway lost, 35-34.
Lichtenstein took all the heat - from students and media alike. Thing is, it wasn't his fault. The ball was sliding off the field-goal tee by the time he put his plant foot down. He had no chance.
The ball crashed into the line and crushed his school's dreams.
"And Ryan never said a word about it, said Terry Smith, the Gateway head coach, "which tells you who he is,". "Everyone beat him up, but he never said a word."
Meet Lichtenstein, a true freshman that's lived through the highs (see: Northwestern win) and the lows (see: state title game). He's quiet, shuns attention and has built a strong immunity to pressure-packed moments.
After a handful of kickers quit the team in August, Syracuse (2-4, 0-2 Big East) settled on the walk-on from Monroeville, Pa. So far, it has paid off. Through six games, Lichtenstein has made 9-of-10 field goal attempts, highlighted by that walk-off against Northwestern.
For the record, it's "LICK-tin-steen." He's heard his name pronounced wrong some 35 different ways - sometimes with z's, other times with a "ch" sound. Even his new head coach Doug Marrone pronounced it wrong through preseason camp.
How Lichtenstein ended up in Syracuse dates back to this February. Lichtenstein remembers sitting in Smith's office on National Letter of Intent Day with zero scholarship offers. Minnesota, Villanova and Syracuse had shown interest. But no offers.
Considering Syracuse had just hired a new head coach, Lichtenstein e-mailed Dan Conley, the SU assistant that had been recruiting him. Conley told him to call back in April. By then, Marrone and the new staff would have a better handle of the kicking situation.
Which meant Lichtenstein had to wait. And wait.
"I was pretty scared for a couple months," Lichtenstein said. "I didn't really know what I was going to do."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Califcuse
posted 10/13/09 @ 11:30 AM EST
Nice story; keep up the good work Ryan.
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