Punting helped Pitt’s Lee make his way to the city

Many times, when the punt team runs onto the field on fourth down, football fans turn away… Many times, when the punt team runs onto the field on fourth down, football fans turn away from the game to get a snack or another beer.

But fourth down is Andy Lee’s time to shine.

Lee, a preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award, which is awarded annually to the best punter in college football, has been Pitt’s punter since the middle of his freshman season, in 2000. Now a senior, Lee has been one of the reasons why the Panthers’ special teams are among the nation’s best.

Last season, Lee became the first Pitt player to be named the Big East’s Special Teams Player of the Year and was also a first-team All-Big East selection.

Lee started off on the right foot last week against Kent State, averaging 44.7 yards on seven punts. And then he answered a few questions.

The Pitt News: Why did you start playing football?

Andy Lee: I started around ninth grade. The team wanted me to punt because they knew I had a good leg. I also played some wide receiver and tight end, but as I got older, I had coaches that taught me how to punt.

TPN: Why did you stay a punter?

AL: The coaches asked me to do it, and I was good at it. I started practicing and I realized I could go play college football with this. That made me keep on wanting to punt.

TPN: Do the other players act differently towards you and the other kickers?

AL: We’re all in different little groups, but some of my best friends play different positions. We’re just a big family. Of course, I practice with the other specialists, so I am around them.

TPN: Which would you rather do, kick a 70-yard punt or drop a punt inside the 5-yard line?

AL: Which one? How about if I could have a 70-yard punt land inside the five? [laughs] It really depends on the situation.

TPN: What is your favorite sport, other than football?

AL: Baseball. I played in high school, and I still love it. It’s something that I’ll always love to do.

TPN: What is the funniest- or oddest-sounding phrase that kickers commonly use?

AL: I’m not sure, but I’ll tell you, the worst thing you can say to a punter is, “don’t shank it.” That’s the worst thing anyone can say before you go out and kick a ball.

TPN: What goes through your mind before a punt?

AL: I usually go out there and swing my leg one time to make sure it’s loose. I obviously have to count to make sure we have 11 guys. Then I focus on the snap. It all happens so fast. I just go out and do it, and I’m done.

TPN: What do you do in your spare time?

AL: I sit around and watch movies, play Playstation and hang out with my friends. I guess I’ll throw in there that I study, too. [laughs] Oh, and I play golf. That’s definitely a big thing we do all the time.

TPN: What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

AL: Let me think. [laughs] I don’t really have anything. I hunt and fish, but people might expect that, since I’m from [South Carolina]. Actually, since I came up here and met [backup placekicker] J.B. Gibboney, I had never listened to country music, never fished, never hunted. I met him and then I started it all. I had lived in the South, but I came here and became more Southern.

TPN: Along with country, what other kinds of music do you listen to?

AL: A little bit of everything. I like Tim McGraw, stuff like Slipknot, rap – everything but classical music. Before games, I’ll listen to hard rock. I can’t stand to fly, so when we fly, I’ll listen to something calm, some slow stuff. When I’m out with friends, I’ll listen to rap, because you really can’t dance to Slipknot.

TPN: You can’t?