July 23, 2010
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43 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF - The defining moment in Mike Andrie's Lamar University football career came on Nov. 14, 1987, in the next-to-last game of his senior season.
With Lamar trailing Arkansas State 14-3 late in the second quarter and the Cardinals facing a fourth-down-and-nine situation from the Indian 40-yard line, Andrie trotted in from the bench and began lining up his second field goal attempt of the evening (he kicked a 22-yarder late in the first quarter).
"The wind was coming from the south, which was good because we were driving toward the Montagne Center," said Andrie in recalling the event. "The thing that was really interesting and ironic about it, though is that as a kicker you almost always know your distance, but for some reason I did not look to see how far it was on that one.
"There was a good snap (from Andy Oates) and a good hold (by backup quarterback Kevin Hoffman), and I hit the sweet spot of the ball. It carried through (the uprights) with no problem.
"Not until I heard the public address announcer (former Lamar track and field standout Thomas Lightfoot) say that I had just set the school record did I realize I was 57 yards out. If I had known that, I may have juiced it and missed it. Thankfully, I didn't."
Andrie's kick bettered by four yards the previous Cardinal record set by Mike Marlow - also against Arkansas State, in 1979.
Andrie, the son of former Dallas Cowboy all-pro defensive end George Andrie, finished his four-year career after kicking an all-time record of 70 extra points, and his 53-consecutive conversions spanning the 1985-1987 seasons are also a school record.
"One of the greatest blessings and opportunities in my life was getting to go through four years of college as a scholarship kicker," said Andrie, now 44 and a partner with his father in George Andrie & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in corporate performance enhancements through promotional products. "You almost have to feel guilty about what you're doing - showing up for practice at 2 every afternoon and kicking a football while all of your teammates are out there doing the real work.
"It was a great gig, and I wouldn't have traded it for the world."
Fortunately for Andrie, he completed his gig two years before Lamar discontinued its football program. That's a feat neither his father, nor his brother George Jr. can claim.
"My dad played his college football at Marquette, and Marquette dropped football after his junior season," said Andrie. "My older brother played offensive tackle at UT Arlington, and UTA dropped football after his sophomore season. He transferred to Baylor, but, ironically, I hit the first field goal of my college career (a 48-yarder) against him and UTA during my freshman season (in 1984).
"I was no longer playing at Lamar when the football program was dropped, but I was still very close to Coach (Ray) Alborn and the players. What are the odds against a dad and two sons playing at three different colleges and all three of them dropping football? Probably pretty astronomical.
"It's always been a joke in our family that we're The Terminators. We helped terminate football programs. It seemed like a bad dream to me when Lamar dropped football, but maybe it had to die for it to be reborn.
"I never gave up hope, and I always believed it would come back. Right after Dr. (James) Simmons was named president (in 1999), I knew football would be back. He set the wheels in motion, and he and all of Lamar's athletic administrators have not been going through the process halfway in any form or fashion.
"They're going about everything first class, and I firmly believe it's going to succeed beyond expectations this time. We have the talent pool here in Southeast Texas; we have the recruiting tools in the renovated stadium and the brand new field house with the latest in equipment, and Coach (Ray) Woodard and his staff have gotten off to a great start in recruiting. We have everything it takes for it to be successful."
The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved an athletics fee to help restore the football program in February of 2008, and Lamar named former NFL player Ray Woodard its eighth head football coach on June 19, 2008.
The Cardinals will play an 11-game schedule this season with six games to be played in newly renovated Provost Umphrey Stadium. The season opener will be at McNeese State on Sept. 4, and the Cardinals' home opener will be Sept. 11 against Webber International.
Tickets for this historic season are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Lamar athletics ticket office at (409) 880-1715 or by visiting the athletics website at www.lamarcardinals.com/tickets/footbl-s-tickets.html.
