Kicking Balls- The Kevin Dillingham Story
Punter Kevin Dillingham wasn’t always the high kicking Bad Boy of the CFL; even as a child however, it was clear he was a special talent.
Kevin Dillingham grew up in Greenbriar, Tennessee, a rural community of farmers and ranchers. As a young man Kevin was different from the rest boys at school. It seems an eight year old with 21 inch feet was something of an oddity in Greenbriar.
Born the only son of a one legged donkey rancher, Kevin was expected to herd the donkeys into their pens by any means necessary. As a result, Kevin didn’t know much about football, but he had become and expert ass-kicker. The Greenbriar High School Football coach saw Kevin as he rounded up the donkeys one day and immediately invited him to try out for the team as a punter. To quote Kevin Dillingham himself: “The shoe fit.” With his booming kicks often sailing out of sight only to fall back down with impressive accuracy; Kevin became something of a local celebrity. One scout who happened to be passing through Greenbriar saw the untapped potential and labeled Kevin “The Natural.”
Almost 20 years later the name has stuck.
Today going into his ninth season Kevin remains in the top ten punters in CFL history in average yards per kick. And with the offense in Death Valley sputtering, it looks like the weight is going to fall on the sizeable foot of Dillingham to bring the team into the playoffs for the first time in three years. Again the pressure is on, fans have eagerly hoarded their tickets and wait with faded breath for that magical first 4th down of the season. Will cheers erupt as the ball sails higher and higher into the stratosphere, or has age finally caught up to the man so many believed to be unstoppable?
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