Behind the Facemask: Cameron Dean
Aug. 19, 2011
August 19, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla.–They are stories of perseverance. Stories about growing up, becoming men and being a part of a family. One-by-one, we hear from them. These are the Miami Hurricanes…
Cameron Dean | Punter | Junior | Gulf Stream, Fla.
I’m a Hurricane because I’ve always wanted to be one. I didn’t really get that opportunity out of high school. I only played football for two years in high school. Miami’s always been my dream school, so I’m happy to finally be here. Fordham University has a nice campus and all, but I like it here better. I went there for two years, played football both years there, and decided to risk it all by asking for my release and coming here. Luckily I still kept in contact with Coach Barrow, so he helped me out.
People say I’m more built like a punter and have been more consistent with it. Soccer helped me out, because I played defense. I would do all the goal kicks and stuff like that. I’m built like a punter, so it became more comfortable.
I kick with both feet. If I were to do both, I would punt with my right foot and do kickoffs and field goals with my left foot. Soccer did that to me. One summer when I was 10 years old or so, we were up at our cottage in Wisconsin, and I spent the whole summer on one of those kick-back nets with my left foot. It’s important in soccer to be able to use both feet. One motion became more comfortable left-footed, one became more right-footed, and I just stuck with it. I’m technically right-footed, but the two different motions became comfortable with separate feet which is nice, because then one of my legs never gets tired.
My mom didn’t want me to play football, but my dad and I kind of went behind her back and had a tryout with my coach. He came to all of our soccer games and I assume he saw me take the free kicks and goal kicks and must have figured out that I had a good leg, because he asked me to come kick for him. I also made a deal with one of my friends that I would play football for one year if he played soccer for one year. He actually ended up enjoying it, he said he wished he had tried it earlier (laughs).
When I punt, I have to try and stay relaxed, but everyone knows how that goes. When you see that it’s third down, you have to be ready to go. When fourth down comes, you have to run out there, collect yourself, and basically live in the moment. You’ve done it a million times, and you just have to trust you know what you’re doing. You line up 14 ½ yards behind the long snapper. You try and stay loose. When the ball comes to you, you catch it, and do what you’ve been practicing.
Kicking is a lot different. If you’re a receiver, you have plenty of plays to do it over again. If you drop one, it’s not a big deal, because you get another shot to try it again, maybe on the next play. With punters and kickers, you have one shot to do the best you can do, to execute what your coach wants you to do. It might be punt out of bounds, sky it, or get the ball inside the 20-yard line. But you have only five shots a game or so, and you’re not out there that long, so you have to take advantage of it.
You never try and kick it to the returner. Typically, he’s usually a lot faster than you (laughs). I had a couple of times when I was one-on-one in high school, but never in college. Luckily, I’ve never let up a touchdown while punting or kicking.
Joining the team was a big relief. I had to have my release before I could talk to Coach Barrow. I put it on the line, and Coach Barrow told me that he’d love to have me come down and try out. He remembered me when I tried to come here when I first applied to college, so that helped a little bit. When he told me that he wanted me to come, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. My parents were happy too, because I’d be an hour away from home instead of a flight that takes two and a half hours.
I’ve changed physically since I’ve been here. I lost almost 20 pounds over the summer, because of our workouts with Coach Swasey.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a kind and confident person. I’m someone who tries to help others. People say I’m too friendly sometimes, but that’s just the way I am.
I want to be the starting punting here, but there’s going to be a good competition. Whatever happens, it will make the team better regardless. After college, I want to be a successful business person, hopefully in some way related to sports.
I have a great sporting family, and friends that are really behind me in all of my decisions. I have a brother and sister, but technically they’re my half-brother and half-sister because I’m adopted. They live in Chicago now, so it’s not always easy to see them. If you met my mother and father before you met me, you wouldn’t believe it when I say I’m adopted. I have the same hair color and eye color as my mother, and a similar skin complexion. People usually don’t believe me (laughs).
I was adopted when I was born, so my family is the only family I know. They’re my family. They’re my mother and father, and that’s the way it is. I don’t see my brother and sister as half brother or half sister either. I don’t have the biggest family in the world, but I love them all the same.
One food I absolutely will not eat is eel. I love sushi, but just not eel. Any other kind of sushi, I’ll pretty much eat.
My favorite song right now is “Boom” by P.O.D. I always listened to it on the way to state playoffs for lacrosse, and we won every time I listened to it, so it kind of just stuck. It’s the song I listen to the most consistently. I always listen to music before the game. It gets me going.
One song people would not believe I have on my iPod is something by Rascal Flatts. I listen to country music, rap music, and everything in between.
We are all one team that wants one goal, and I think we’re striving toward that pretty good right now. We’re working hard.
The best advice I would give to someone would be to trust your gut. Do what you want to do, do what you enjoy. A lot of people say you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life. I don’t see what I’m doing as working. Love what you do, do what you love, and you’ll be happy.
I never thought I would be at Miami, but I’m happy I’m here. I’m thankful I got the chance.
I’m afraid of failure. I try to be a perfectionist. When things don’t go exactly the way I want them to, I get into a kind of panic mode. I just try and fix it as fast as possible.
Other than football, I’m talented at wakeboarding and snowboarding. I’ve gone to Colorado and New York for snowboarding. One of my friends lives in New York, and he’s been one of my best friends since we were little. I went to go visit him, and I had to take two trains and a bus to get there. I got tired of skiing and wanted to try something new. It was a natural transition for me, because I had been wakeboarding here for some time down here.
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