Super Bowl Champion Returns to Midd

Super Bowl champion Steve Hauschka ’07 returns to his alma mater tonight for a Q&A with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Alex Wolff. Tomorrow night, Friday, April 18, the town of Middlebury will have the chance to talk with the former Panther in a meet-and-greet style gathering at Middlebury Union High School.

Thursday’s event is open only to Middlebury College ID holders, and will be held in McCullough Social Space at 7 PM. Because a large crowd is expected, a live screening will be provided in Dana Auditorium for overflow. A joint effort by MCAB, which will cover Hauschka’s travel expenses, and Director of Athletic Communications Brad Nadeau, who contacted Hauschka, is bringing the current Seahawk and his wife, Lindsey Hauschka ’07, to campus.

“MCAB is really excited to bring Steve Hauschka to campus,” MCAB President Elizabeth Fouhey ’14 said. “From the reactions that we have heard, the student body is excited. I am happy that we are connecting with a group on campus that MCAB does not always reach. I hope students from across campus attend, not just athletes. Hauschka is one of us ... He’s a Midd kid.”

Hauschka began his football career as a sophomore after being cut from the soccer team his first year. As a kicker and punter, Hauschka twice made the all-NESCAC team and was named a District I Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors Association for his senior year. Hauschka owns the Middlebury records for most field goals in a single season and in a career.

After graduating from Middlebury, Hauschka attended North Carolina State, where he became a finalist for the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s top place-kicker.

Hauschka’s unlikely rise to fame is something that Wolff finds intriguing.

“His journey is unexpected for somebody, not just from Middlebury, but for any Division 3 athlete,” Wolff said. “His athletic experience here wasn’t what he planned. It’s a great lesson ... There’s no telling what your sports story is going to be ... If one door closes, another one might be cracked open.”

Wolff also hopes to uncover Hauschka’s football heritage.

“I heard a story that [Hauschka’s] dad, who played rugby, had a tryout with the Cowboys as a kicker,” Wolff said. “I’d love to hear that story. If that’s true, it surprises me that he didn’t try out for football when he came to Middlebury.”

Hauschka showed talent from day one, but developed during his three years in a Panther uniform.

“He worked hard at his craft when he was here,” Football Head Coach Bob Ritter said. “You could tell right away he had pop in his leg.”

The exposure that Hauschka received as a walk-on at NC State during the 2007-08 season allowed him to get tryouts with NFL teams, though he had the potential to kick in the pros while at Middlebury.

“It’s the same everywhere,” Ritter said. “It’s the same in the pros, it’s the same in Division I, it’s the same in Division III. You’re kicking from that spot, and it’s going that far. So at that time [during his senior year at Middlebury] it was obvious he had the leg.”

During his one year at NC State, Hauschka went 25-25 on extra points and 16-18 on field goals.

The 28-year old has been on the roster of the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos, as well as the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. Since September 4th, 2011, Hauschka has been an integral member of the Seattle Seahawks, and over his three seasons as a full-time place kicker has increased his field goal percentage each year, tallying a career-high 94.3 percent in 2013. During the 2014 postseason, Hauschka went 8-8 on field goals en route to a Super Bowl championship.

“I think there are so many aspects to his story that make him unique,” Nadeau said. “He’s finally landed. And he’s really made a name for himself ... The fact that he also was a neuroscience major at Middlebury who wanted to become a dentist makes the story that much more interesting.”

“I could be wrong,” Ritter said, “but I think he got into Harvard Dental School ... So he had some options ... That’s what I find so intriguing, to get cut, to not make it, to go to the UFL for a year ... some of those guys in that league have to do that because this is the only paycheck they’re going to get ... but he obviously had some options, and stayed with it, and I’m glad it’s paid off for him.”