SPECIAL BROTHERHOOD
Oct. 13, 2017
The Gopher football culture is all about growing in four areas of life: academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.
The Minnesota specialists fit into those four areas stronger than anybody.
“There is no group like us in the country,” junior kicker Emmit Carpenter said. “It is just a special group from top to bottom.”
The specialists have some of the top GPAs on the team, volunteer in the community, push each other and have been successful on the field. Last year Carpenter was the first Gopher ever to win the Big Ten’s Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year award. This year Ryan Santoso was honored for his work in the classroom, community and field by being named to the Wuerfel Trophy watch list. Justin Juenemann has never seen the field but made worldwide headlines when he was awarded a scholarship this fall for the serving and giving he does off the field.
“I have always been taught to never forget where you come from. I came from a small town in Kansas and coming to an environment like this was a different experience but a good different,” Juenemann said. “To be able to be awarded with that scholarship and to have not only the specialists but the entire team surround me in that moment means a lot.”
Upperclassmen like Santoso and Juenemann both noted how the hiring of head coach P.J. Fleck has allowed them to use their platform even more in the community. As a team the Gophers often take trips to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. The specialists always have a strong presence on those visits and Juenemann never missed a trip from January through August.
While Fleck’s presence has been huge, the specialists were also quick to give thanks to players before them that helped create a unique culture among the group.
“It helps having older guys set the culture,” Santoso explained. “I had Chris Hawthorne and Dan Orseske when I was a freshman. Just seeing how those guys interacted with the younger guys helped me do the same thing for the younger guys coming in now. We are not better or worse than anyone else. We are all equals trying to push each other to be the best us we can be.”
Carpenter grew up across the street from former Gopher punter Peter Mortell. When he would come visit Mortell at Minnesota he noticed how close the specialists were.
“That was one of the things I was really looking forward to when I decided to come to Minnesota. It has been even better than I could have even imagined,” Carpenter said. “I think one of the biggest things about our group is that we really do everything we can to help each other.”
That camaraderie is why Juenemann never hesitated at coming back for a fifth year on the team even before getting rewarded with a scholarship.
“It is just an honor to be able to kick with these guys,” Juenemann said. “Honestly, just that we are able to put out the best amount of work on the field, but also to be able to have fun while doing it is the best part about this group.”
Not many groups have more fun than the Gopher specialists. All it takes is one scroll through their Twitter account, @MinnSpecialists, to see that. The Gophers have gone viral for multiple videos throughout the years including a fake trick shot video, singing the rouser at TCF Bank Stadium and interacting with other teams throughout campus in a mock summer workout video.
“We have had some fun tweets that have popped up over the years,” Carpenter explained. “Most of those start with all of us guys just hanging out. We will just be sitting around being goofy and one thing leads to another. We enjoy it and kind of use it as an outlet to show people what we are like as a group outside of football. We are just fun loving people that just like to embrace the fun things in life.”
With a Twitter following of 5,248 the specialists were able to use their platform to put on a Can O'Corn Specialists Food Drive during training camp this fall.
“We understand that we need to be humbled being in the position that we are in on this football team,” Santoso said. “It’s not something that we should take for granted and there is a lot of people out there who wish they were in our positions. One way for us to give back to our community is to share the wealth and share the privilege that we have by being on this team.”
There is no question that Minnesota has been greatly impacted by an elite group of specialists over the years and if you ask them, the relationships they have built is not one that will end after football.
“After football we are still going to hang out and talk. It’s not like when football is done that we are going to stop talking to each other,” Juenemann said. “We are going to continue those relationships when we are husbands, when we are fathers, when we get different careers so that’s what I am excited for.”
“We have to stick together. We are more brothers than we are teammates,” Santoso echoed. “I know we are all going to stick together long after football is done.”
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101317aaa.html
Oct. 13, 2017
The Gopher football culture is all about growing in four areas of life: academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.
The Minnesota specialists fit into those four areas stronger than anybody.
“There is no group like us in the country,” junior kicker Emmit Carpenter said. “It is just a special group from top to bottom.”
The specialists have some of the top GPAs on the team, volunteer in the community, push each other and have been successful on the field. Last year Carpenter was the first Gopher ever to win the Big Ten’s Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year award. This year Ryan Santoso was honored for his work in the classroom, community and field by being named to the Wuerfel Trophy watch list. Justin Juenemann has never seen the field but made worldwide headlines when he was awarded a scholarship this fall for the serving and giving he does off the field.
“I have always been taught to never forget where you come from. I came from a small town in Kansas and coming to an environment like this was a different experience but a good different,” Juenemann said. “To be able to be awarded with that scholarship and to have not only the specialists but the entire team surround me in that moment means a lot.”
Upperclassmen like Santoso and Juenemann both noted how the hiring of head coach P.J. Fleck has allowed them to use their platform even more in the community. As a team the Gophers often take trips to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. The specialists always have a strong presence on those visits and Juenemann never missed a trip from January through August.
While Fleck’s presence has been huge, the specialists were also quick to give thanks to players before them that helped create a unique culture among the group.
“It helps having older guys set the culture,” Santoso explained. “I had Chris Hawthorne and Dan Orseske when I was a freshman. Just seeing how those guys interacted with the younger guys helped me do the same thing for the younger guys coming in now. We are not better or worse than anyone else. We are all equals trying to push each other to be the best us we can be.”
Carpenter grew up across the street from former Gopher punter Peter Mortell. When he would come visit Mortell at Minnesota he noticed how close the specialists were.
“That was one of the things I was really looking forward to when I decided to come to Minnesota. It has been even better than I could have even imagined,” Carpenter said. “I think one of the biggest things about our group is that we really do everything we can to help each other.”
That camaraderie is why Juenemann never hesitated at coming back for a fifth year on the team even before getting rewarded with a scholarship.
“It is just an honor to be able to kick with these guys,” Juenemann said. “Honestly, just that we are able to put out the best amount of work on the field, but also to be able to have fun while doing it is the best part about this group.”
Not many groups have more fun than the Gopher specialists. All it takes is one scroll through their Twitter account, @MinnSpecialists, to see that. The Gophers have gone viral for multiple videos throughout the years including a fake trick shot video, singing the rouser at TCF Bank Stadium and interacting with other teams throughout campus in a mock summer workout video.
“We have had some fun tweets that have popped up over the years,” Carpenter explained. “Most of those start with all of us guys just hanging out. We will just be sitting around being goofy and one thing leads to another. We enjoy it and kind of use it as an outlet to show people what we are like as a group outside of football. We are just fun loving people that just like to embrace the fun things in life.”
With a Twitter following of 5,248 the specialists were able to use their platform to put on a Can O'Corn Specialists Food Drive during training camp this fall.
“We understand that we need to be humbled being in the position that we are in on this football team,” Santoso said. “It’s not something that we should take for granted and there is a lot of people out there who wish they were in our positions. One way for us to give back to our community is to share the wealth and share the privilege that we have by being on this team.”
There is no question that Minnesota has been greatly impacted by an elite group of specialists over the years and if you ask them, the relationships they have built is not one that will end after football.
“After football we are still going to hang out and talk. It’s not like when football is done that we are going to stop talking to each other,” Juenemann said. “We are going to continue those relationships when we are husbands, when we are fathers, when we get different careers so that’s what I am excited for.”
“We have to stick together. We are more brothers than we are teammates,” Santoso echoed. “I know we are all going to stick together long after football is done.”
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101317aaa.html
