Out of necessity, he also did a little building on the side.
See, at Southwest Covenant High School, which has fewer than 300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, there's no football stadium. The eight-man football team plays in other schools' stadiums.
That was no big deal, Bailey said. The problem for the aspiring kicker was the absence of uprights.
"So we had to make goal posts ourselves,” Bailey said. "We just got some pipe and welded it together and put some cement in the ground and stuck it down. I think it was my junior year when we finally made some.”
When Oklahoma State kicks off its season at Washington State on Saturday, Bailey will be the starter on kickoffs and field goals. That's no small feat considering he had to compete for the job against freshman Quinn Sharp, a Texan who rivals.com listed as the top kicker in the class of 2008.
"Quinn's really talented, and we've been competing back and forth pretty hard,” Bailey said. "He's been pushing me every day. The offseason went really well.”
Special teams coordinator Joe DeForest said that's an understatement.
"He's made the biggest improvement from one season to another than any kicker I've ever been around,” DeForest said. "His elevation on his ball has been tremendous. He's really worked hard. It's a credit to him — he wanted to win the job. He knew we signed the No. 1 kicker in the country coming in, and he's performed so well he's won the job going into the first game.”
Bailey was the backup most of last season, stepping in when, as DeForest put it, "(Starter Jason) Ricks sort of took a dive.”
Bailey took over after the Texas game and converted 2-of-4 field goal attempts against Baylor and Oklahoma. He made both attempts inside the 30-yard line and missed the two attempts that were beyond the 40.
Bailey, who DeForest described as extremely level-headed, said the key to handling one of football's most pressure-packed positions is to relax, focus and not think too much.
"I've been doing it so long now that it's pretty natural,” Bailey said. "You just go through the motions and do what you do in practice.”
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Uwe Von Schommon (sp?) used to hypnotize himself before big kicks. You know it's coming. You see it coming. You get out there - then they call a time-0ut. That's when you need a deep breathing exercise, hypnotizing techniques, or something more than mere mortals can summon up. I wonder if more kickers don't take karate or some other martial art which improves the force of the kick? Many come from soccer backgrounds and that's made the kicking position improve immensely over the years. I would think a sabat (sp? again) or tae kwon do black belt could kick pretty accurately. Has there ever been a survey taken of kickers and how many participate in martial arts?
Mike, the article was pointing out that the kid has improved dramatically since last season....not that he could make kicks inside the 30 yard line! The fact that he beat out Sharp, who was (as someone put it) "drillin' them from mid-field at the Army All-Am game" indicated that Bailey must be pretty damn good. If he couldn't nail kicks from outside the 40, he'd be on the bench.
I'm glad we have two high-caliber kickers, but I hope all our special teams are just as special. I mean kick-off coverage, punt and kick-off returns, etc. Special teams can be fun and exciting and can change the course of a game around in a hurry. If Bailey is consistent from 30 yards out that's good, but I would like him to be consistent from 40 yards out and capable of making a 50 yarder under pressure. That's what we need and what we'll ask of him. If he's up to it, or the Texas kid is up to it - that's what we need.
Chris, it's been obvious for the last 4 years....yet nothing changes. Don't get me wrong, I'm optimistic. I'm just ready to see a kicker with ice running through him in the regular season as well as the off-season.
honestly, i wonder why this kid is the kicker after we scored that b.a. one from texas. are they gonna redshirt him? the kid f/texas was drillin field goals from mid field at the army all american game....
Since Bailey's presence at Southwest Covenant they have built their own stadium west of town. The students at SW Covenant are intelligent and determined. They won the state championship last year in their class, against great odds. I think Bailey will be up to the challenge at OSU and I wish him all the best - I know all his friends at SW Covenant wish the best for him too. Go Pokes!
That off-season improvement is all well and good in the off-season but it better translate to nailing kicks in the game. Not every kick can be within the 30 yard line and we will need some beyond it at some point this season.
OSU kicker Dan Bailey, right, replaced Jason Ricks during the Kansas game last season and made all four of his extra point attempts. Bailey remained the starter the rest of the season and will be the starter entering this season. by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman Archive
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Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.