Long wait at Northwestern pays off for Barrington punter they call 'Grandpa'
Barrington native Daniel Kubiuk openly shared his nickname on the Northwestern football team - "Grandpa."
Kubiuk will become an old man of 24 on Sept. 30. He's the oldest player on the team and has been part of the program for six years.
"It's been a long ride," Kubiuk said after Wednesday's practice inside Ryan Fieldhouse. "I've seen strength staff come and go. I've seen some coaches come and go. Coach (Jerry) Brown retired two years ago, we got a new running backs coach, coach (Lou) Ayeni. They've all been great. I've seen a lot of turnover over the years. So it's been kind of funny."
Kubiuk received his undergraduate degree in economics, with a minor in business. He's on track for a master's in sports administration in December. He's been a punter, kicker and quarterback during his college career. He even joined NU's baseball team for a season, getting 10 starts on the mound and recording a save in 2016.
And other than one quarter spent on scholarship, he's paid his own way, starting as a walk-on in the fall of 2014. The reward that's finally arrived is he'll be the starting punter when Northwestern opens the season at Stanford on Saturday.
"I love playing the game of football and love these teammates," Kubiuk said. "That's what kept me coming back for a sixth year."
Kubiuk missed last season with an injury. He came back and beat out last year's punter, Jake Collins, who averaged 40.5 yards on 79 kicks. Collins is a grad transfer from Western Kentucky who arrived at NU with two years of eligibility remaining. Kubiuk got a waiver from the NCAA making him eligible for a sixth season.
"I'm fired up for Kubes," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "He's been here a long time. He's had to battle through some injuries. A couple years ago we expected him to be our starting punter and unfortunately got hurt. So he missed multiple years. He's had a great camp and he gets the opportunity to do it first."
During his time at Northwestern, Kubiuk has seen game action. He took some snaps at quarterback late in a lopsided win over Eastern Illinois in 2015. Then in 2017, he punted twice, once against Bowling Green and once against Illinois.
"I'm sure Stanford's studying those two reps," he joked. "Otherwise, I'm not giving them much to work with."
At Barrington, Kubiuk was a two-year starter at quarterback, helping lead the Broncos to a 10-2 record and quarterfinal playoff appearance in 2013. Also a standout in baseball, he considered playing both sports at Division III Washington University in St. Louis.
Had he gone there, Kubiuk probably wouldn't have waited five years to get his chance. He thought about changing plans a few times, but decided to stick it out at NU for as long as possible.
"This gives me a lot of confidence, having coaches express that I'm the No. 1 guy," he said. "I'm super excited to get back into the game, get some real game reps; just go out and enjoy it with my teammates."
This is the second season of Northwestern's indoor practice facility, which has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto Lake Michigan. The view was particularly pleasant on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.
"Look around here at Ryan Fieldhouse, this is an incredible opportunity," Kubiuk said. "I joke that's the only reason I came back for a sixth year was to enjoy this facility. The meals, the weight room, just the camaraderie of the guys. It doesn't get any better than this."
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