Remy Hamilton - More Than a Kick
June 25, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
By Marc Doche
Los Angeles Avengers
Communications Assistant
Remy Hamilton is not your typical placekicker. He prides himself on being an athlete, not just a kicker, and contributing to the team in a variety of ways.
"I love sticking my head in and making some tackles," Hamilton says. "I'm always told I don't look like the average kicker. I have more of an athletic build and am more of an athlete."
That attitude earns the respect of the other players on the team. Everywhere he has played, Hamilton has been respected as an athlete and not just a kicking specialist.
"Remy has had at least five touchdown-saving tackles this season," assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Brent Winter says. "He is the most physical kicker I have ever coached, and his strong leg and potentially deadly accuracy are huge bonuses."
Hamilton's nose for bringing down kick returners began when he struck a deal with his coach while playing for the Carolina Cobras in 2000.
"I had an incentive in my contract that if no one returned a kickoff for a touchdown on me all year long, I got a certain amount of money," Hamilton says. "I took pride in that and for the past two years no one has returned a kickoff on me. I still take pride in that, even though that incentive isn't in my contract here. I'll never lose the will and desire to prevent someone from scoring against us."
Hamilton is well aware of the stereotypes that often come along with being a placekicker. Often times they are segregated from the rest of the team and aren't treated as an equal part of the squad.
"Some kickers get a bad rap because they don't do anything," Hamilton says. "They're always just sitting around and are content with the label of just being a kicker."
As far as his kicking duties go, Hamilton rates his performance up to this point in the 2002 season as sub-par.
"There are definitely five short field goals that I should have made," he says. "My main focus coming into the season was on extra points because I had struggled with them the past few years. I've really improved on my extra points, but I've lost some of my concentration on shorter field goals. However, over the last couple of weeks that has been coming around too."
The biggest reason he has been able to focus more on his extra point attempts is because of the new rules that allow for an outside rush by the defense to put pressure on the kicker.
"The outside rush has sped up my timing a little bit this year," Hamilton says. "That actually has helped me, especially on my extra points, because I'm used to going through the ball quicker. That's how I always practiced, so before when I had to pause and watch the ball, it screwed up my timing."
Although things didn't click for the Avengers as a whole in their 52-33 loss to San Jose on June 8, Hamilton's four field goals set an Avenger record and marked the first time he booted that many three-pointers in a single game.
"That means a lot to me to hit four field goals in a game and set the team record," Hamilton says. "I've had opportunities when I made three and then got a chance at a fourth, but missed. So, it's special to pull that off."
Hamilton's athleticism makes him dangerous in another aspect of the game that the Avengers have flourished in this season ... the onside kick. L.A. has been successful on 78 percent of its "surprise" onside kick attempts.
With the AFL being all about getting more possessions than the opposition, the outcome of the game usually comes down to who has the football more times.
"Every time you get a possession, you should score," Hamilton says.
Some fans not accustomed to the nuances of the indoor game were left shaking their heads at Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss and his decision to attempt an onside kick when the Avengers were tied with the Dallas Desperados on June 15, with a minute left in the game. Those fans didn't yet realize that Hodgkiss probably would call for that same play every time. Actually, there was no other option.
"If there's a minute left in the game and we have the opportunity to get the ball back, whether we kick an onside kick and they get it and score real quick, or we recover the kick and get the ball back and have the final possession, that's what we'll do every time," Hamilton says. "That final possession is important in winning games. We also use the onside kick as an element of surprise. And we've already seen other teams take notice of it, which has helped our kickoff coverage downfield and everything else."
Out of high school, Hamilton was recruited by several colleges to play quarterback, defensive back and kicker, but he chose to play at the University of Michigan and eventually focused on being a kicker. However, that focus didn't come until his sophomore season as a Wolverine when he was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top collegiate placekicker.
"During my first year at Michigan, I was the backup punter and played a little quarterback," Hamilton says. "It was fun doing a lot of different things, but it came to a point when I realized I needed to focus on kicking."
Upon graduating from Michigan, Hamilton didn't get much of a look from the National Football League.
"My situation concerning the NFL is due to a lack of opportunity," Hamilton says. "I've only had two workouts and I didn't take advantage of those opportunities. The fact that I didn't kickoff during my last two years in college had pro scouts thinking that I didn't have a strong leg. That's not the case at all. I was just injured and that's why I didn't kickoff. And over the last couple years, my leg has actually gotten stronger."
Hamilton has built strength in his legs with a rigorous off-season workout program, which includes lots of kicking and sprinting.
"The speed of your leg as it comes through the ball is what gives you distance, so sprint work is really important," he says. "If you keep kicking and keep your mind right, you're going to be successful."
At the age of 27, Hamilton has several productive years of kicking ahead of him, and although he loves playing in the Arena Football League, his ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL.
"I would be absolutely content to play here for the rest of my career, but obviously my goal is to play in the NFL," Hamilton says. "The lifespan of a kicker goes until about 35, so that gives me at least seven or eight more years. There are guys that are 40 and still kicking. There's no doubt in my mind that I can kick in the NFL. I just need someone to give me that opportunity."
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 25, 2002
- This week in the AFL - OSC Original by Mark Sargent
- Remy Hamilton - More Than a Kick - Los Angeles Avengers
- Jacobs Named ADT Defensive Player of the Week - San Jose SaberCats
- Greg Hopkins honored as AFL "Ironman of the Week" - Los Angeles Avengers
- McNair Earns Player of the Week Honors - Buffalo Destroyers
- McNair Leads Players of the Week - AFL I
- Raybon Up to the Challenge - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Desperados Host AFL's Top Team - Dallas Desperados
- New York Dragons Weekly - New York Dragons
- Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I
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