Kicking it Back to High Gear
“I never knew I’d have to use a passport to kick an American football.”
This quote came from new Tijuana Luchadores kicker and punter Kyle Corbett, who just last week broke the DSFL records for field goals attempted and made in a single game. Corbett went 7-for-8 in 3-point situations, including a go-head 48-yard FG that would give Tijuana a 21-19 win over Palm Beach. Corbett scored all 21 of Tijuana’s points in that affair. However, Corbett will be the first to tell you that his success in his second ever professional game is not the most surprising thing about the situation. It’s the fact that he did it in Mexico.
Corbett grew up in a single-story household in Corpus Christi, Texas. He lived in the house with his two parents, his grandmother, and four older brothers. Income was certainly a struggle for the family. His mother, Jean, could rarely find employment anywhere in the city. His father, Nigel, worked in a local mill, but barely made enough to put food on the table.
“Man, had I made some more money about fifteen years ago I coulda turned Kyle into a lineman.”, said Mr. Corbett. “But I’ll settle for kicker.”
Like his brothers, Corbett would be sent out to play all sports at a young age. He struggled mightily at baseball, he was too small for basketball, and he wasn’t a fast runner. However, he was very good at soccer, something all of his brothers bullied him for.
“When I was younger, everyone always made fun of the soccer kids.”, said Korbin, Corbett’s oldest brother. “So even though Kyle was my brother, it was still funny to all of us to see him playing the wimpy sport. But after seeing the man Kyle became, I have a lot more respect for the game. Maybe one day I’ll make my kids try it out.”
As Corbett grew older, he started to struggle a bit more at soccer. He had a knack for kicking the ball directly over the goal. While it did make his coach very unhappy, it did catch the eye of some friends of his parents.
“They told me he needed to try out for the middle school football team.”, said Mr. Corbett. “I was like...he’s…he’s not gonna make it. But everyone else was certain he would. But, I mean, I didn’t want to be the kicker’s dad. So, I mean, it was kinda hard for me as a rough and tough dad.”
“When I found out that Kyle was gonna be a football kicker, I laughed even harder than when I found out about soccer.”, said Korbin. “I almost felt embarrassed to be his brother. Like...you can’t have respect for the kicker.”
Despite the disgust and disappointment from his family and friends, Corbett became the kicker for the Cullen Middle School football team, where he was easily the best of all of the 3-point specialists in the city. Many of the charter and private high school coaches were traveling to watch him kick. They all wanted him to play for their teams. After fielding six offers, Corbett would head to Arlington Heights Christian School, where he immediately became the starter as a freshman.
“You don’t meet guys like Kyle often.”, said Tony Graham, Corbett’s high school coach. “Most kickers can score points on occasion, but Kyle, man, he was a game changer.”
In Kyle’s junior year, he would break the state record for field goals made in a single season. This instantly caught the eye of coaches throughout the nation. There was no way Kyle was avoiding college football. Everyone knew that Kyle was a star in the making.
“How could you not gun for a guy like Kyle Corbett.”, said Larry Fedora, head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. “You look at him and think pro. You instantly think he’s gonna go straight to the NSFL. The guy is out here breaking records in one of the largest states in the country. Corbett is ready for the big time.”
However, it was not Larry Fedora who would earn Corbett’s services. It was not Mark Richt. It was not Mike Gundy. It was not Kliff Kingsbury. It was not Gary Patterson. It was not Chip Kelly. Against all odds, the call that caught Corbett’s attention the most was a voicemail from...Will Muschamp?
“I don’t even remember the words he said.”, says Corbett. “I just remember that I didn’t even need to speak with him before I knew I needed to be in Columbia. I just got that odd feeling.”
“Sending him off to Columbia was hard.”, said Mr. Corbett. “But I knew deep down that South Carolina was the school for him. We were here to support him in everything.”
Corbett had a great freshman year, placing 3rd in the SEC in FG% heading into the annual Palmetto Bowl. However, it was in this game where Mr. Corbett’s support would be put to the ultimate test. It was early in the 1st Quarter. Corbett was lining up for a normal 35-yard field goal attempt.
“It all felt so routine.”, said Corbett. “I didn’t really notice anything unusual. I felt like I was doing what I always had done. It just came out of nowhere.”
“I have coached football for decades.”, said Will Muschamp. “This is probably one of the most random moments I have ever seen on the football field.”
With the ball held in place, Corbett jogs forward and kicks the ball between the posts. The crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium began to cheer as they had just taken an early 3-0 lead on the rival Tigers...until they saw Corbett on the ground gripping his knee. Corbett was carried off the field by his teammates and later transported to nearby Providence Hospital. Corbett had just suffered a torn ACL.
“It still makes no sense to this day.”, said Mr. Corbett. “Why him. Why me. Why then.”
Corbett would be sidelined from even touching a football for 8 months. For safety, he wouldn’t even play in his Sophomore season. He returned in his Junior year, but he was not the same Kyle Corbett we all knew. He started the season making just 2 of his first 9 attempted field goals. He finished the year with a 43% Field Goal rate, after being benched in Week 4 in favor of freshman Tommy Roenick.
“I sat there thinking, you know, this is it. My son isn’t going to be this star we were told he would be. He’s just gonna be some nobody in the workforce.”
“I still wonder if anything would have been different had he not torn the ACL”, said Korbin. “I wonder if he’d have even more fame than he has now?”
Corbett got a bit lucky in his senior season. Roenick decided to transfer just 6 weeks before the season, allowing Corbett to regain his starting spot. He had a decent season, placing 4th in the SEC in FG%, but he certainly did not look pro-ready. He was not selected in the NSFL or DSFL drafts. For the time being, he began pursuing his master’s degree in health management at South Carolina. However, this was not the end of Corbett’s football journey.
“After the injury I wasn’t expecting my life to feature a more meaningful call than Muschamp’s.”, said Corbett, “but along comes Epictitus Milburn.”
“Our kicker had left the team with just seven days before the start of the regular season, and we needed someone to kick for us.”, said Milburn, the GM of the Tijuana Luchadores. “We looked and looked for someone out of college and we decided to give Kyle a call.”
“One moment you think your son is out of his career. Next, he’s on his way to playing football again...in Mexico.”
“I was definitely shocked.”, said Corbett. “I had another chance at kicking professionally. The only thing I had to do in order to make that dream come alive was to get a visa.”
“Did I expect my brother to be a pro kicker?”, asks Korbin. “Yeah, I did. I just never would’ve thought it’d be south of the border.”
Corbett made his debut in Tijuana against the Kansas City Coyotes just two weeks ago. After his record setting game last week, Corbett is ready to kick things back into high gear.
“Who knows, maybe someday I’ll move north of the border and kick in Canada. But for now, I guess I’ll keep doing my thing down here.”
The Luchadores are back in action this week against the San Antonio Marshals at Tijuana Stadium.
“I never knew I’d have to use a passport to kick an American football.”
This quote came from new Tijuana Luchadores kicker and punter Kyle Corbett, who just last week broke the DSFL records for field goals attempted and made in a single game. Corbett went 7-for-8 in 3-point situations, including a go-head 48-yard FG that would give Tijuana a 21-19 win over Palm Beach. Corbett scored all 21 of Tijuana’s points in that affair. However, Corbett will be the first to tell you that his success in his second ever professional game is not the most surprising thing about the situation. It’s the fact that he did it in Mexico.
Corbett grew up in a single-story household in Corpus Christi, Texas. He lived in the house with his two parents, his grandmother, and four older brothers. Income was certainly a struggle for the family. His mother, Jean, could rarely find employment anywhere in the city. His father, Nigel, worked in a local mill, but barely made enough to put food on the table.
“Man, had I made some more money about fifteen years ago I coulda turned Kyle into a lineman.”, said Mr. Corbett. “But I’ll settle for kicker.”
Like his brothers, Corbett would be sent out to play all sports at a young age. He struggled mightily at baseball, he was too small for basketball, and he wasn’t a fast runner. However, he was very good at soccer, something all of his brothers bullied him for.
“When I was younger, everyone always made fun of the soccer kids.”, said Korbin, Corbett’s oldest brother. “So even though Kyle was my brother, it was still funny to all of us to see him playing the wimpy sport. But after seeing the man Kyle became, I have a lot more respect for the game. Maybe one day I’ll make my kids try it out.”
As Corbett grew older, he started to struggle a bit more at soccer. He had a knack for kicking the ball directly over the goal. While it did make his coach very unhappy, it did catch the eye of some friends of his parents.
“They told me he needed to try out for the middle school football team.”, said Mr. Corbett. “I was like...he’s…he’s not gonna make it. But everyone else was certain he would. But, I mean, I didn’t want to be the kicker’s dad. So, I mean, it was kinda hard for me as a rough and tough dad.”
“When I found out that Kyle was gonna be a football kicker, I laughed even harder than when I found out about soccer.”, said Korbin. “I almost felt embarrassed to be his brother. Like...you can’t have respect for the kicker.”
Despite the disgust and disappointment from his family and friends, Corbett became the kicker for the Cullen Middle School football team, where he was easily the best of all of the 3-point specialists in the city. Many of the charter and private high school coaches were traveling to watch him kick. They all wanted him to play for their teams. After fielding six offers, Corbett would head to Arlington Heights Christian School, where he immediately became the starter as a freshman.
“You don’t meet guys like Kyle often.”, said Tony Graham, Corbett’s high school coach. “Most kickers can score points on occasion, but Kyle, man, he was a game changer.”
In Kyle’s junior year, he would break the state record for field goals made in a single season. This instantly caught the eye of coaches throughout the nation. There was no way Kyle was avoiding college football. Everyone knew that Kyle was a star in the making.
“How could you not gun for a guy like Kyle Corbett.”, said Larry Fedora, head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. “You look at him and think pro. You instantly think he’s gonna go straight to the NSFL. The guy is out here breaking records in one of the largest states in the country. Corbett is ready for the big time.”
However, it was not Larry Fedora who would earn Corbett’s services. It was not Mark Richt. It was not Mike Gundy. It was not Kliff Kingsbury. It was not Gary Patterson. It was not Chip Kelly. Against all odds, the call that caught Corbett’s attention the most was a voicemail from...Will Muschamp?
“I don’t even remember the words he said.”, says Corbett. “I just remember that I didn’t even need to speak with him before I knew I needed to be in Columbia. I just got that odd feeling.”
“Sending him off to Columbia was hard.”, said Mr. Corbett. “But I knew deep down that South Carolina was the school for him. We were here to support him in everything.”
Corbett had a great freshman year, placing 3rd in the SEC in FG% heading into the annual Palmetto Bowl. However, it was in this game where Mr. Corbett’s support would be put to the ultimate test. It was early in the 1st Quarter. Corbett was lining up for a normal 35-yard field goal attempt.
“It all felt so routine.”, said Corbett. “I didn’t really notice anything unusual. I felt like I was doing what I always had done. It just came out of nowhere.”
“I have coached football for decades.”, said Will Muschamp. “This is probably one of the most random moments I have ever seen on the football field.”
With the ball held in place, Corbett jogs forward and kicks the ball between the posts. The crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium began to cheer as they had just taken an early 3-0 lead on the rival Tigers...until they saw Corbett on the ground gripping his knee. Corbett was carried off the field by his teammates and later transported to nearby Providence Hospital. Corbett had just suffered a torn ACL.
“It still makes no sense to this day.”, said Mr. Corbett. “Why him. Why me. Why then.”
Corbett would be sidelined from even touching a football for 8 months. For safety, he wouldn’t even play in his Sophomore season. He returned in his Junior year, but he was not the same Kyle Corbett we all knew. He started the season making just 2 of his first 9 attempted field goals. He finished the year with a 43% Field Goal rate, after being benched in Week 4 in favor of freshman Tommy Roenick.
“I sat there thinking, you know, this is it. My son isn’t going to be this star we were told he would be. He’s just gonna be some nobody in the workforce.”
“I still wonder if anything would have been different had he not torn the ACL”, said Korbin. “I wonder if he’d have even more fame than he has now?”
Corbett got a bit lucky in his senior season. Roenick decided to transfer just 6 weeks before the season, allowing Corbett to regain his starting spot. He had a decent season, placing 4th in the SEC in FG%, but he certainly did not look pro-ready. He was not selected in the NSFL or DSFL drafts. For the time being, he began pursuing his master’s degree in health management at South Carolina. However, this was not the end of Corbett’s football journey.
“After the injury I wasn’t expecting my life to feature a more meaningful call than Muschamp’s.”, said Corbett, “but along comes Epictitus Milburn.”
“Our kicker had left the team with just seven days before the start of the regular season, and we needed someone to kick for us.”, said Milburn, the GM of the Tijuana Luchadores. “We looked and looked for someone out of college and we decided to give Kyle a call.”
“One moment you think your son is out of his career. Next, he’s on his way to playing football again...in Mexico.”
“I was definitely shocked.”, said Corbett. “I had another chance at kicking professionally. The only thing I had to do in order to make that dream come alive was to get a visa.”
“Did I expect my brother to be a pro kicker?”, asks Korbin. “Yeah, I did. I just never would’ve thought it’d be south of the border.”
Corbett made his debut in Tijuana against the Kansas City Coyotes just two weeks ago. After his record setting game last week, Corbett is ready to kick things back into high gear.
“Who knows, maybe someday I’ll move north of the border and kick in Canada. But for now, I guess I’ll keep doing my thing down here.”
The Luchadores are back in action this week against the San Antonio Marshals at Tijuana Stadium.
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