Peter Mortell is in Green Bay Packers camp, competing for the starting punter job with veteran Tim Masthay. It's quite a story. Mortell, the Gophers all-time leader in career punting average, is a Green Bay native. His grandfather ran the clock at Lambeau Field for 30 years, and his dad still has that job now.
Mortell used to be the kid holding the helmet while the Packers player rode his bike to practice. Now he's the one on the bike.
Regardless what happens with Mortell's NFL career, his legacy with the Gophers will endure. That became very clear to me yesterday when I interviewed Ryan Santoso for this story on his switch from kicker to punter.
"I learned a lot from Pete," Santoso said. "I got to sit behind an NFL punter. He's given me a lot of tools to work with. ... He's only a phone call away. He always tells me that if I ever need anything to call him."
Beyond football advice, Mortell has helped teach the other Gophers specialists how to keep things in perspective. He knows how to focus on his job, and when to keep things light. Who could forget tweets like this?
Last December, Mortell announced a goal of raising $10,000 for the University of Minnesota's Masonic Children's Hospital. It took him a whole 12 hours. He wound up collecting more than $25,000. Santoso said the other Gophers specialists are determined to make that fundraising effort an annual tradition.
"Pete's a great example of what it looks like to have a great balance, with business on the field, but then also giving back to the community," Santoso said. "He understood that he was given opportunities, but giving back was something he took pride in, which was really cool."
