FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2005: A Fork in the Road

Their paths seemed so similar. They came to Harvard with the same goals in mind, with the same opportunity in front of them. Two talented kickers from Florida—turning their backs on big program schools in their home state—and coming to Cambridge with the mission of resurrecting a kicking game that had degenerated to the point of embarrassment.

Sophomore Matt Schindel and junior Derek Case were set on a course to continue their similar routes through Harvard until an event completely unforeseen changed both of their fates.

Coming into his sophomore season in 2004, Case planned to go to preseason camp as the favorite to win the vacant place kicking spot. With the incumbent Adam Kingston ’04 graduated, the spot belonged to Case.

But just weeks before he planned to leave his home, Case went in for a routine operation to clear his sinus passages. It ended with titanium plates replacing his sinuses and a blood clot forming in his brain.

Complications from the surgery left Case in a nearly comatose state for two weeks and would eventually cause him to lose 45 pounds.

One thousand miles away, then-freshman Schindel found himself the only viable kicking option for the Crimson. He had heard the horror stories of missed extra points and short field goals from years past. He knew all about the times when Harvard coach Tim Murphy elected to go for two after a touchdown because his kickers couldn’t make extra points.

As a freshman, it was Schindel’s job to make sure the kicking game didn’t stand in the way of an Ivy championship.

With the opportunity in hand, Schindel never looked back. As Case recovered and watched from the sidelines, Schindel put together arguably the best season for a kicker in Crimson history. He tied the school record set in 1912 of 13 field goals in a season set by Charlie Brickley ’15, and was named first team All-Ivy.

“My success last year was part of the offense as a whole,” Schindel said. “I had makeable kicks all year long.”

As Schindel kicked his way into Harvard history, Case had to accept that without a stroke of incredible bad luck, he could have been the one on the field helping the Crimson to its perfect 10-0 season. Instead, he watched from the sidelines—cheering all the way.

“It was a little frustrating,” Case admitted. “[But] I was really happy to see [Schindel] do well. I knew there were a lot of frustrations with the kicking for a long time so I was happy for the team and the coaches.”

A full year after his ordeal, Case has regained all of the weight he lost and says his leg strength is right back where it was before the surgery. But even with the recovery, he knew coming into this season it would be nearly impossible to unseat a kicker who had distinguished himself as the best in the league.

Schindel enters the season as the starter with Case as his backup. For the first time in recent memory, the Crimson has a reliable and potentially deep kicking game.

“We’re good friends,” said Schindel of his relationship with Case. “We know that we’ll get the job done.”

—Staff writer David H. Stearns can be reached at stearns@fas.harvard.edu.