A Kicker Who Isn’t Off the Tee : Mike Doan Supplants Image of Flakiness With Scoring Success

Mike Doan is a rarity among place-kickers.

Bob Burt, Cal State Northridge football coach, says he’s never been around another kicker quite like him.

“He doesn’t have the normal psychological makeup of a kicker,” Burt said.

He was asked if the tales of kickers being a rather peculiar lot were greatly exaggerated.

“No, I don’t think it’s a myth,” he said. “I’ve been around a lot of other kickers and most of them were pretty weird.”

And few are as successful as the senior from Mater Dei High School.

Doan leads the Western Football Conference in kick scoring with 71 points. He has made 13 of 16 field goal attempts--including all eight of his tries from 40 yards and out--and is 32 of 33 on extra points.

In a 34-0 Northridge victory over Portland State last Saturday, Doan tied WFC records with four field goals and 14 kicking points.

He would have both records to himself had Burt not taken a 46-yard field goal off the board in the first quarter after a roughing the kicker penalty.

Northridge took the yardage for the first down and eventually scored a touchdown. It was the second time this season Doan had a long field erased after Burt accepted a penalty to keep a touchdown drive going.

Doan has made his last nine official field goal attempts, including kicks of 21, 40, 41 and 44 yards against Portland.

His success in last week’s game got at least one opposing player upset. On a third-quarter play in which Doan faked a PAT kick and Northridge scored a two-point conversion, a Portland linebacker grabbed Doan by the face mask and tried to discus-toss him.

“I was just trying to keep my neck tight so he wouldn’t pull my head off,” Doan said.

In two seasons at Golden West College, Doan was 11 of 17 field goal attempts.

He blamed his mediocre performance on inactivity. “I’m at my best when I’m kicking a lot and I didn’t get very many chances there,” Doan said. “I didn’t start off well both seasons and I never got much of a chance to work out of it.”

Doan has been a slow starter throughout his collegiate career. He missed his first two attempts for Northridge last season, but rebounded to make 16 of his last 21 attempts and was selected first-team all conference.

He also missed his first two attempts this season.

Doan’s success is shared by his holder, backup quarterback Danny Fernandez, and his long-snapper, John (Turtle) Dickman, who came with him from Golden West College.

“It helps when you never have to worry about the hold or the snap,” Doan said. “The ball is always there. I never think twice about it.”

And Doan has seen to it that even when Fernandez and Dickman aren’t around, he can practice as much as he’d like.

No one else’s fingertips need be at risk, either. Doan has invented a “Porta-Football-Holder,” a gadget that looks like a crude compass.

Doan made the device out of scrap metal he found at his father’s welding and pipe-fitting supply store and it allows him to practice without a holder.

It was also been an extra source of income. Doan sent out brochures to high schools around the state and he has sold about 100.

Not bad considering he hasn’t had much time to market the product. He’s concentrating on schoolwork and Northridge’s quest for the conference championship.

The Matadors (8-2) are tied for first place with Cal State Sacramento, who they play Saturday.

Doan has already won one game for Northridge with a last-second extra point. He said he wouldn’t mind if the team’s championship hopes rested on one of his kicks.

“I’d love it,” Doan said. “It doesn’t matter to me how we win it. As long as we win it.”