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| SportsFriday, August 17, 2007 1:30 AM CDT |
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Kindred: This kicker is on target in game that matters
Derek Kutz watched Nathan Wibbenmeyer’s lengthy battle and frequent trips to and from Memphis, Tenn. A family friend, Wibbenmeyer was diagnosed with cancer at 9, and died shortly before his 16th birthday. Kutz, a 21-year-old student at Southeast Missouri State, was moved by the death. He knew what the Memphis-based St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital had done for Wibbenmeyer, how doctors had worked to extend his life, make him more comfortable. Most college seniors would mourn briefly and move on, particularly the kicker and co-captain of the football team. Kutz had personal goals to chase: completing a degree in fitness and exercise science, and pursuing a goal of kicking in the National Football League. No one would have blamed him for focusing on his dreams, his desires. Kutz continued to make the grade in the classroom, make an impact on the field. Yet, he also made time for Wibbenmeyer, and many like him. Kutz talked to teammates and to his coach, Tim Billings, whose first wife had died of cancer. He sought to start a foundation … not down the road, but immediately. Three years later, Kutz’s “Touchdown 4 A Cure” has raised more than $100,000 for St. Jude’s. He hasn’t made the NFL, kicking instead for United Indoor Football’s RiverCity Rage. Still, he’s made a difference, and is eager to do more for children fighting the battle Wibbenmeyer lost. The UIF named Kutz its Man of the Year, honoring him at a banquet Thursday night in Bloomington as part of the UIF All-Star Classic weekend. He considers the award incentive to “make it (the foundation) bigger and better.” “It’s just something I enjoy doing. I enjoy helping kids,” said Kutz, now 24 and working for a flooring company in his native Perryville, Mo. “I’m a big fan of kids. I don’t have any myself, but I will one day. “I’ve never had to struggle with that (childhood cancer). I’ve been blessed with a lot of things. I’d like to help some kids so that hopefully they can enjoy a life like the one I’ve had.” Kutz is not rich. He is not an NFL star making millions. Starting and sustaining a foundation is easier when your paycheck ends in a lot of zeroes. Kutz does it on a smaller scale, yet produces results. In the beginning, he and his Southeast Missouri State teammates solicited pledges for dollars per field goal or touchdown. Student volunteers accepted donations at home football games, and the local radio station devoted air time and advertising spots to the cause. Kutz later expanded his efforts to include an annual golf tournament in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., and hosts a fundraising dance every year in Perryville. Next, he hopes to get Perryville area high school football teams involved, using the dollars per field goal, touchdown, etc., formula. The school raising the most money would receive $1,500 to spend on its program. Also in the works is a benefit concert in Perryville featuring native son Chris Janson, an up-and-coming country music artist. Clearly, there is more to Kutz than kicking a football through the narrow UIF uprights, which he did well enough to record the league’s second highest field goal percentage this season. He’s as easy to root for off the field as on, an athlete with a heart bigger than his name and bank account. How often can we say that? Kutz points out “a lot of professional athletes have foundations and do good work.” Most enjoy a higher level of fame and fortune than Kutz, but their efforts, he said, are largely ignored. He is doing his part, however small, to restore the public’s trust in the people they pay to watch play. “I wish you’d hear more about (charitable work) on the news,” Kutz said. “The only things you hear about are the bad things athletes are doing. All you hear about is Michael Vick and things like that.” Not even the “Man of the Year” can change that. Still, he can have an impact … on children he’ll never know. Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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