Per GoBearcats:
When Kevin Huber takes the field at Sofi Stadium in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday at 6:30 pm ET (NBC) it will mark the culmination of a journey that began in Anderson Township on the Eastside of Cincinnati and has incredibly stayed in the Queen City for the “hometown hero” and University of Cincinnati graduate.
From watching games with his father at Riverfront Stadium to attending Archbishop McNicholas High School and UC before spending the last 13 years as the punter for the Bengals, Huber recognizes how fortunate he is and how unique his career has been.
“There can’t be very many that have played this many years and have never left their entire career or entire life from the city they grew up in,” Huber said earlier this week following a team meeting. “I definitely sit back and think about how actually crazy that story is. It’s something I’ll be able to hang on to for the rest of my life, I’ll look back and realize how fortunate I was to be in this situation.”
Huber and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Marquise Copeland will be the 19th and 20th Bearcats to play in the Super Bowl, and one will become the 14th former UC football player to earn a Super Bowl ring. Sunday will also mark the 25th Super Bowl featuring a Bearcat.
Last Thursday, Huber found himself as the latest Bearcat practicing for the Super Bowl back on the campus where he earned degrees in finance and marketing. The Bengals utilized UC’s indoor facility – the “bubble” – at Sheakley Athletic Center for three days following a winter storm.
The same field Desmond Ridder and Coby Bryant practiced on the last five years was used by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Huber and the rest of the AFC Champions as they finalized preparations for the Super Bowl.
On Thursday, several UC coaches and support staff watched practice and Huber gladly caught up with several Bearcats staffers, including longtime Director of Operations John Widecan and head coach Luke Fickell.
“It was pretty cool,” Huber said. “We have done it a couple times in the past, but it’s a little bit different this year since we are getting ready for the Super Bowl. I was just glad to be back on campus and to be back where it all started. It was pretty fun to see some of the coaches in the bubble and get to chat with some of them.”
Huber played at UC from 2004 to 2008, walking on and redshirting his first season before developing into the nation’s top punter and earning a scholarship by his junior season. He led the nation in punting average while collecting back-to-back consensus All-America honors in 2007 and 2008—the only Bearcat to do so twice in his career.
He played under Mark Dantonio and Brian Kelly, and played with current assistant coaches Gino Guidugli and Walter Stewart, as well as offensive quality control coach Armon Binns. Current defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs were both on the UC staff during parts of Huber’s career, too.
“To see some of those guys coming back and being able to coach has been pretty cool to see,” Huber said. “I think it’s great for the university and great for the team. They can recruit from the heart, they’ve been there, they’ve been a part of the school and the football program. They can really sell the program truthfully.”
Practicing in the bubble brought back a lot of great memories, like his trip to the 2009 Orange Bowl. He has particularly enjoyed the success recent UC punters have had like All-American James Smith and current rising sophomore Mason Fletcher. He had a blast as a fan following the Bearcats this fall.
“To have some bragging rights in the locker room has been something I have really cherished this year,” he said. “I got to be able to sit back and watch them do really well, and get to a few games. A couple guys on the team got behind the team as well. It was fun to chat about it with the guys and to watch them do really well, on top of our season that we have been having. It’s been a pretty memorable season.”
Consistency has been the key to Huber’s success. He follows a similar routine each day at the Bengals’ facility, which includes meetings, walk-through and practice. He has had the same special teams coordinator, Darrin Simmons, his entire professional career. He met Simmons at the 2009 Senior Bowl, they hit it off and he was drafted by the Bengals in the fifth round a few months later. Huber has had the same long snapper, Clark Harris, his entire career, too.
He has had plenty of opportunities to leave Cincinnati as a free agent, including this past offseason, but he has always stayed.
“It’s a comfort level that I know what to expect and I know that I’m not going to a new system or a new snapper,” he said. “I don’t have to get reacclimated. Up to this point it has been the spot where I can perform the best. That is really what I look for and where I want to go play. It’s also great for my wife and I to be here in the city and be close to our families. That helps a lot as well.”
Consistency. Family. Home. All reasons that Huber has had tremendous success leading him to this weekend where he will have the opportunity to be a world champion.
