Behind the Facemask: Alex Irastorza
Aug. 31, 2011
By Camron Ghorbi
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — As Alex Irastorza buckled his pads in the training room at Marist College and made his final habitual preparations before taking the field against Bucknell, he waited for a glimpse of his high school nemesis. Right on cue, Miami Hurricane freshman running back Lamar Miller raced up the sidelines, returning a first quarter kickoff for a touchdown against Ohio State that sent the Red Foxes’ sophomore kicker into a frenzied celebration. And though he was merely watching on television from a training room over 500 miles away in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., it was a moment Irastorza will never forget.
“I knew exactly what that felt like,” Irastorza said. “We played Killian High School my senior year, and Lamar toasted me. I thought I had him, but he made one cut on me and I dove. He was long gone.”
During the spring, Irastorza was once again the man punting and kicking to Miller and the other Hurricanes’ return men. His high school defensive coordinator, on the sidelines for Irastorza’s first practice at UM, jokingly gave the same advice to Alex he had only a few years earlier, “Don’t kick it to Lamar!” After a year and a half hiatus, Irastorza had finally landed where he had always wanted to: Coral Gables.
“I loved Marist, I had a great time there,” Irastorza said. “I respect the school, but I had to move on. I’ve lived ten minutes up the road from here my entire life. The only school I’ve ever had a heart for is UM.”
Irastorza remembers quickly untying his pads, skipping shower time and sprinting to his dorm room to catch the tail end of any Hurricanes’ games he could. He remembers wearing his Miami gear on campus until his Marist schoolmates were “sick of it.” The University of Miami football program, says Irastorza’s father Anibal, was a lifelong passion for his son.
“Those Orange Bowl years and those games, especially against Florida State, were special. The noise when you’re there, the atmosphere, it leaves an impression on a kid,” Anibal said. “It was always his dream, and the dream of my wife and I, that he would be a Hurricane.”
A football career with the Hurricanes, however, never seemed a realistic goal for the Miami native in high school. After seasons spent on the junior varsity team for 10th and 11th grade at Columbus High School, Irastorza still wasn’t promoted to varsity. During his senior year, he split time with another kicker on kickoffs, extra points and field goals.
“You have to admire his persistence,” Anibal said, “He never let anything get in his way, even when things were going against him. He was determined. He always said he would be a Hurricane, and we hoped so, but it’s not easy playing football at this school.”
But Irastorza never gave up hope. The 20-year-old, who inserts a picture of his late grandmother into his kicking sock before every practice and game, is a firm believer in his faith. Two challenging seasons at Marist did little to deter Irastorza from his dream.
“I got to Marist and there was a senior ahead of me there too,” Irastorza said, “I stayed patient. After a year and a half went by, I thought, I could be the starting punter next year, but I might not be.”
He decided to take a chance. Irastorza applied to Miami with hopes of making the football team. During Thanksgiving break of his sophomore year at Marist, he assembled a highlight tape and sent it to the coaching staff. After receiving a positive response from the Hurricanes, he immediately requested his release from Marist.
“I remember opening the decision letter with a little trepidation,” Anibal said. “I remember calling him and saying, `Alex, you’re a Cane!’ and he couldn’t believe it. My wife shed a tear or two, and while I won’t admit to that, my eyes were definitely a little moist.”
After their son’s acceptance, however, the late season change of coaching staff became a point of concern for the Irastorzas. After reaching out to the newly hired Coach Golden and his staff, the sophomore kicker was still uncertain of his future with the team, and the beginning of his academic career at Miami was looming. After attending a spring orientation event with his mother Eileen, Irastorza received a text message on his phone, “Reminder: Team Meeting Monday.”
“I’ll never forget walking in,” Irastorza said with a smile, “I showed up to that meeting more than a half an hour early. I think it was an 8:00 meeting and I showed up at like 7:20.”
Ever since that day, and the first team meeting with Coach Golden and his staff, Irastorza has been living his dream.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Irastorza said, “I tell myself every morning how blessed I am, and I realize I have to take advantage of every moment I can.”
To say both father and son are looking forward to Irastorza’s first game in a Hurricane uniform would be a vast understatement. After conducting his first media interview in the spring and spending over three hours perfecting his autograph for young fans, Irastorza is ready.
“It’s crazy to think how much my life has changed since January,” he said, “I learned about patience in high school, learned it in college, and I’m going to continue to be patient. I’m going to get on that field, and I will play. But I’m going to have to be patient and continue to work hard.”
