Kickin' It with the Barth Brothers
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How The Barth Brothers Kicked Off a Historic Run at Carolina
On a warm October night in 2004, freshman kicker Connor Barth made history with a game-winning field goal over #4 Miami, the highest ranked win in UNC football history. What took place over the next 20 or so years has been so completely ignored that I had to talk about it. Since 2004, UNC football has quietly had an unprecedented run of unbelievably reliable to outright exceptional play from their specialist group. Names like Conner Barth, Casey Barth, Nick Weiler, Noah Burnette, Rece Verhoff, and Grayson Atkins come to mind on the kicking side. Ben Kiernan, Tom Maginness, Tom Walden, Tom Sheldon, Hunter Lent, and Thomas Hibbard held things down on the punting side of the specialist group.
The Barth Brothers are two of the most decorated and accomplished players in UNC football history. Andrew Jones of TarHeel247 asked recently who fans wanted to see receive a statue alongside Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, arguably the greatest player in UNC football history. Choo Choo was not only a great runningback, but one of the best punters in UNC football history. Well, the Barth Brothers are my pick.
Connor Barth finished his career with only six missed extra points, and holds a field goal percetage of 76.1%. Connor went 103 of 109 on his PATs, and 54 of 71 on field goals across four seasons in Chapel Hill, including, of course, that legendary game-winner in 2004. This gave Connor a career kick success percentage of 87.2% on 157 of 180 kicks.
Somehow, Casey managed to be even better than his older brother. Casey Barth still holds the UNC program record for career field goal percentage, and also only missed 1 extra point in 4 years, Casey went 160 of 161 on PATs and 66 of 82 on field goals in his four years in Chapel Hill. Casey finished his career with an 80.5% field goal percentage and 226 of 243 overall, for a kick success percentage of an even 93%. Casey Barth put on an immaculate performance in the 2010 Music City Bowl in a memorable finish over the Tennessee Volunteers. Since 2004, Connor Barth, Casey Barth, Nick Weiler, Noah Ruggles, Grayson Atkins, and Noah Burnette combined for an average field goal percentage of 76.42%.
Due to the nature of how punting metrics are tracked, there are only so many numbers I can give you that will accurately explain and demonstrate just how much of an impact some of the punters UNC has had since 2004 have had. The quality of play from the punting group at UNC over the last 2 deacdes has been exceptional. Tom Maginness was arguably the best punter in the country for UNC prior to a major injury in his junior season, but was still able to even improve on his play the following season. Ben Kiernan was able to conistently drop the ball on a dime when needed while stillbeing able to flip the field with a long ball if needed. David Wooldridge, Thomas Hibbard, and Tom Sheldon were all exactly what you want from your punter: consistent.
So what are the Barth Brothers up to now? The short answer is, they’re giving back. Tonight from 5:30-8:00pm at John T Hoggard High in Wilmington, Casey and Connor will host the 11th annual Kickin’ It with the Barth Brothers youth kicking camp. Attendees will get a chance to show their skills in kicking and punting competitions, get coaching from experienced players and specialists, and its open to players of any and all skil levels. Why am I talking about it? In a world where youth sports and football camps are becoming increasingly expensive to attend, the Barth Brothers aren’t charging a dime.
I had a chance to sit down with Casey and Connor for a few questions about their playing careers and more.
Connor:
Q: Leading up to the game winner against Miami in 2004, you had missed 2 field goals from a similar distance in the weeks prior. Did this change your approach or mentality at all?
A: I actually missed a closer one earlier in the game against Miami, so obviously it’s something you think about, but when I lined up for that game winner I wasn’t too nervous because the game was tied, so worst case we go into overtime if I don’t make it, but there was a great snap and hold and I was able to put it through. You gotta have a short memory with misses and just have confidence that you have made that kick a million times in practice.
Q: Fan attendance during the 2004 season is regarded as one of the best this century for UNC football. Was there something different about the crowd and energy that night, or had it been like that all season long?
A: Night games are always special in Kenan Stadium. And being Halloween weekend I think there was an even cooler vibe. Playing a top 5 team in Miami as well made it even more special and the fans were amazing and helped us get that win that evening.
Q: You guys were coming off a very tough loss to Utah, and spent the bye week between Utah and Miami making a big change in the pro style offense that had been used most of the season. How quickly did the team realize that they could beat Miami? Or was that never in question?
A: If you look at the roster we had that 2004 season. We really had some special players, so I think our team knew that we could play with anyone if we did our jobs and executed our assignments and we put together an amazing team win against Miami.
Q: How important is consistency in mental approach for kickers?
A: Kicking is all mental. It’s the belief that every time you step onto the field you are going to make the kick. I learned early on about visualization and how if you can play the kick in your head before it happens you are going to have a lot more success because your brain has already performed that field goal in your head. I learned this technique my sophomore year and in my junior year I was 100 percent on field goals. Mental game is everything.
Q: How difficult was it for you to transition to life after football?
A: There is always an adjustment period moving away from the game you played for most of your life, but I have great parents and my younger brother who were always big on making sure you grow your passions outside of football, so it was easier than I thought. I will always miss hanging with your teammates in the locker room and traveling and seeing new cities though.
Q: How much does it mean to you that you not only get to hold this camp and give back to the youth, but you get to do it with your brother?
A: The kicking camp my brother and I do is so awesome. And being able to share that with Casey it just doesn’t get much better. I am so proud of the career Casey had and always grateful that we are both healthy and can give back and help grow the game we love back home in Wilmington, a town that has supported us from day one. It’s a special place to call home.
Q: You and your brother are considered not just 2 of the best kickers but 2 of the best players in UNC football history. What does UNC and Chapel Hill mean to you?
A: UNC and Chapel Hill to me means family. To be able to play four year at UNC and then to be able to see my brother come in after me and excel and break all my records and set all kinds of school records is amazing. I can still remember being in Kenan to be able to congratulate my brother when he broke the record for most fg’s in a career. It was a moment I’ll never forget. It’s one of the best feeling traveling around the country and world and you always seem to run into someone who has that UNC logo on their shirt or hat. It’s a special place to go to school.
Casey:
Q: What, if any, is the biggest difference between how you and your brother kick? Can be a mental or physical difference.
A: I would say the biggest difference between how Connor and I kicked was more so physically. He was naturally really gifted with rolling his foot over a bit more and utilizing his quad where I had a tendency to leave my foot open and kick more with my groin, leaving some power on the table.
Q: The 2010 Music City Bowl is regarded by Tar Heel fans as one of the best wins in program history. Did you or anyone on the team have any idea at the time how big of an impact that game would have on UNC and college football?
A: The 2010 season was really special, and we all had an idea of how many talented players we had. Going into that game, we always knew we could win and should be a national contender, so it was an amazing opportunity for us to show our ability and play a top tier SEC team. I think all the guys did a great job of not letting the moment be too big and just play to our ability but given how that game went, I doubt anyone could imagine the impact it would have (especially on the rule change ha!).
Q: What was going through your head on that final drive to end regulation?
P: During the last drive in regulation, I just went to the net with my holder Trase Jones, and kept getting practice kicks in. Even as the clock expired we both had a feeling that maybe we could get one more shot so we did everything we could to keep our heads in the game. Crazy enough it did happen, and we were able to execute the snap, hold, and kick within that last second to keep us alive!
Q: That Tennessee team in particular had been pretty vocal all game long. How would you describe the feeling of knowing you shut it all down with one kick?
A: It was definitely one of the coolest moments in my life when we won that game. All the smack talk from fans and players just adds to the excitement and adrenaline so it was a very cool experience to shut it down with a kick and celebrate with my teammates. I remember telling my holder Trase, if we end up it hitting a game winning field goal, I have to do something crazy and thats where the thought occurred to me that I should do a front flip haha.
Q: How tough was it to come back that 5th year after going down your senior year after only 3 games? Did your pre-snap approach change at all? Which was more difficult, mentally recovering or physically recovering?
A: I would say the most challenging part of coming back was mentally being ready. As you can imagine, there was a possibility that I would lose my position given the opportunity for our next kicker (Thomas Moore) had in playing for that season. He was a really talented kicker, so I knew I had my work cut out for me to get back in shape and ensure I was mentally ready to be confident in my abilities again.
Q: What does it mean to you that you were not only able to help create a UNC kicking dynasty, follow in your brothers’ footsteps, and yet still create your own unique legacy that stands on its own?
A: Its hard to put in words what it means to leave a legacy at UNC. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to play there and for me, even being compared to my brother is a pretty cool accomplishment. In my eyes, Connor is the legendary UNC kicker so the fact that I was able to play after him and continue that legacy of successful kicking is something I’ll always be proud of.
Q: What made you and your brother want to start your camp?
A: Our Mom and Dad were the main reasons we started our camp. They have always been big supporters of helping the community and reminding us to give back so it seemed only right that we share what we’ve learned and experienced over the years with the community that taught us so much and molded us into the people we are today.
Q: Where/how did you and your brother learn to kick?
A: So, like most kickers, my brother and I played soccer since we were very young. Connor was asked by football team when he was in high school to try kicking and he was a natural. Ultimately as the younger brother, I was dragged to all his camps and figured I needed to compete with my older brother so I figured I would start as well. We did most of our training with Bill Renner and 4th down sports in the early 2000s. From there we were able to take what we learned and apply it at home with our parents. They did a great job of setting us up with a net in the garage so we would get our kicks in even when it was raining and we both had really talented well-rounded teams, so were able to have a lot of field goal opportunities in games which is not always easy for high school teams.
Q: If you both lined up and went kick for kick every 5 yards tomorrow, who would win?
A: I would have to say Connor ha! I think it would be close, but he is a natural and his consistent swing would get me, especially on the longer ones!
Remember, the camp tonight is free, and there is no pre-registration required. Attendees are encouraged to bring a football and a tee. The camp wil take place next to Hoggard High in Wilmington from 5:30-8:00. I want to personally thank Connor, Casey, and their dad Tom for not just giving me the time to ask a few questions, but for making their camp free to all who can play.
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