Former Riverview High School kicker and punter Cody Szelc broke his college record for most career point-after attempts. He made a total of 181 PATs in his four-year career at Monmouth College in Illinois and converted 57 of 59 attempts in his senior season.
Szelc said that his teammates and friends celebrated with him on the field after he broke the record. It was a moment that he will never forget.
“It meant so much to me,” said Szelc. “I have always been a big advocate of discipline, and I believe that discipline can get you to wherever you want to go. This record really showed me that my hard work has paid off, and that I’ll be here in the record books for a long time.”
Szelc, a former soccer player, was recruited by former Riverview head coach William Mosel after his freshman year. His background as a soccer player made him the perfect candidate to become a punter and kicker for the football team, where he excelled for three seasons. He earned a scholarship to Monmouth College after he proved himself at the varsity level in high school.
The kicker not only excelled on the field but in the classroom as well. Coming out of high school, he earned the Mike Evans Family Foundation Scholarship. He said it was special to him because he is a lifelong Buccaneers fan and looks up to Mike Evans for being a pillar of his community. He said the scholarship enabled him to attend college.
He also received the dean’s scholarship from Monmouth, among others. He was on his Student Athlete Advisory Committee, was a three-time Midwest Special Teams Player of the Week and was second-team all-conference as a punter. He consistently made the dean’s list, was named a DIII Academic All-District athlete for three consecutive seasons and was recently inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society, which recognizes excellence in academics, athletics and character.
The Riverview resident wants to continue his football career after finishing his last semester of college this spring and would love to make an NFL roster in the future. He plans to attend kicking camps so that his film will get passed around and hopefully a team will notice him.
“I’d like to build a fan base and be able to be successful enough in football so I can do all of the good things that I feel like Mike Evans is doing, giving to charities, talking to fans and just being an inspiration for some people,” said Szelc. “That’s my ultimate goal.”
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