Interestingly, Blewett focused exclusively on the mental aspect of his recovery from the 2000 season, never really questioning his technique—a technique that had gotten him through four years of high school football and won him Special Teams Player of the Year honors in his native Montana.

“It was just kind of like, ‘Boom,’” Blewett says of his attitude adjustment. “This is what I need to do. I don’t need to worry about my form, because I know I can make the field goal—I’ve made it a thousand times. And all it comes down to is how I’m feeling about myself, how I’m feeling about where I want to kick it, and that’s where it’s going to go.”

Blewett’s newfound mental toughness has not gone unnoticed by his coaches and teammates, particularly Harvard Coach Tim Murphy, who has found it difficult not to stick with the junior.

“When those things happen, especially in pressure-filled situations, you really find out what kind of character a kid has,” Murphy says. “Anytime he has a bad practice or a bad game, he is the first one down in my office saying, ‘Coach, I can do it. You can count on me.’ I always respond the same way: ‘I know I

can [count on Blewett].’ He has that sense of confidence you just can’t fake.”

Sophomore punter Adam Kingston has watched that confidence develop from season to season.

“He’s a lot more confident this year,” Kingston says. “[In his sophomore season], he basically figured he’d be second-string. This year, he came in and thought, ‘I’m going to be the kicker.’ And when he’s up there, he thinks he’s going to make them all.”

Shattering Stereotypes

If “bringing the thunder” and the subtle nuances of mind-body communication don’t seem like concepts one would generally associate with the average kicker, it is because Anders Blewett is, athletically, anything but an average kicker.

His 6’0, 175-pound frame speaks to his broader athletic background. While Blewett was putting together an impressive placekicking resume in high school, he also was a four-year member of the wrestling team and a three-time letter winner in golf. Blewett’s wrestling career was particularly remarkable—he was an All-State selection each of his four years in high school, and capped off his senior year by winning the state title in the 160-lb. weight class, becoming his school’s first state champion in almost three decades.

“Wrestling is definitely the thing that has defined my character more than anything in life—more than kicking, more than anything,” Blewett says. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Despite his well-publicized adventures at the Stadium, Blewett calls wrestling his biggest athletic challenge.

“I got beat up on a lot, and I did my fair share of beating up on others,” he says. “The things I did in high school were probably much more difficult just from a physical standpoint than anything I ever will do.”

His wrestling prowess attracted recruiting offers from Stanford and Brown. Blewett says that his dedication to kicking—combined with his desire to live a relatively normal physical life—led to a decision in favor of Harvard and the gridiron.

“I think it was going to be Stanford wrestling or Harvard football,” Blewett says. “But wrestling didn’t appeal because of the work I’d put into kicking. I also thought it would coordinate better with a college lifestyle—not having to cut weight, not having the same intense workout—and being a college placekicker was my dream since I was about ten years old.” He adds that he does not regret his choice.