For Bjorn Nittmo, Winning is a Matter of Inches
Ron Groh
Friday June 15, 2001
Unlike traditional football, the kickers in the Arena Football League play a larger, more pivotal role in the outcome of each game. Most teams average 5-8 PAT’s and 2-3 FG’s attempts per game. The potential for a kicker to impact the final score is proportional to the lightning-quick passes of the quarterback in some games.
 Bjorn Nittmo tries for a field goal as Funderburke holds Image courtesy of Ron Groh |
Nittmo realizes the challenge he faces each time he runs out onto the field. “They’re less than half an NFL goal post. At 9 feet, 20 yards away, there’s not a lot of give.” Comparing his kicking technique to that of a golfer, Nittmo said, “I play a little golf and my (leg) swing is like club head speed, except, well, it’s foot speed.”
Using NFL kicking greats Gary Anderson and Morton Andersen as examples, two men who are still kicking into their 40’s, Nittmo explained how they don’t use leg strength to power the ball through the uprights, but rely on good solid technique.
Nittmo has a strategy for his kickoffs. “You want to hit the irons or the middle net that’s perfect, but you don’t want to hit the big nets.” Otherwise, “…you give the return guys an advantage.”
Bjorn has had a solid start after 7 games (rookie kicker Brett Gorden played the opening game), but is not yet satisfied with his kicking. At the halfway point in the season, Nittmo is poised for a strong finish and should end the season in the top ten.
“He’s real positive, real confidant,” said Lance Funderburke, backup QB and holder for the Cobras. “He understands the importance of making the big kicks. Everyone on the team has faith in him, that if it came down to a kick, he would nail it.”
Being reunited with Funderburke, his holder from last years Arizona Rattlers squad, Nittmo has settled into a rhythm, but he admits, “When you change teams it’s difficult. The first couple of games I didn’t feel comfortable. I didn’t hit the ball that good.” The man in charge is okay with Nittmo’s performance.
Cobras coach Doug Kay has been more than pleased with Nittmo’s accuracy and consistency this season. “That young man, Bjorn Nittmo, kicked pretty well tonight, that’s the best he’s kicked.” Coach Kay has the team spend 30 minutes a day practicing special teams and takes pride in the teams excellent kick coverage.
Bjorn Nittmo, 6’1”, 180 lbs., was an All-American at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Joining the Cobras is a homecoming of sorts for Nittmo, who is a native of Sweden.
“I kind of grew up here,” he said. “I went to App State and spent the next five years there, in my late teens and early twenties. It’s a great school, great football, good people up there, it’s a good place.”
It Can Turn on a Tee
Last week’s Carolina/Tampa Bay match-up was eerily reminiscent of last year’s finale in Raleigh. On Friday night the undefeated Storm, down 51-48, was faced with a kicker-crisis. With 13,942 home crowd fans collectively holding their breath, kicker Mike Black sent the game into overtime with a last second FG. They went on to win the game, keeping their undefeated status.
Last year, with the Cobras trailing Tampa Bay 72-69 with time running out, Carolina K Remy Hamilton, now with the Milwaukee Mustangs, had an opportunity to send the game into OT. His kick sailed wide right, instead.
These two games, as well as last year’s ArenaBowl, illustrate how close winning and losing can be, and how important the team’s kicker is.
For Bjorn Nittmo, the veteran kicker who has played every year for the 12 seasons since leaving Appalachian State, statistics aren’t what keep him going. “I like to go out and have fun. Yes, I’m serious about it, but I also want to have fun. If it’s not fun, I’m going to walk away, because I’ve had my years.”
The Cobras remain undefeated in the division as well as at home. Another convincing 68-22 home win over the New Jersey Gladiators saw solid performances by Nittmo and the entire team. Incredibly, only two field goals have been made against the Cobras in the eight games played this season.
Ron Groh was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
