Geaux for Cole

Kicker wasn’t born on a bayou, but he’s drilled some of the biggest field goals in LSU history




THIS MAGIC MOMENT—LSU football players lift Cole Tracy in the air after Tracy kicked a game-winning 42-yardfield goal to defeat Auburn 22-21 on Sept. 15 on the road. Tracy is a Newbury Park High graduate. Photos courtesy of Chris Parent/LSU Athletics

THIS MAGIC MOMENT—LSU football players lift Cole Tracy in the air after Tracy kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal to defeat Auburn 22-21 on Sept. 15 on the road. Tracy is a Newbury Park High graduate. Photos courtesy of Chris Parent/LSU Athletics

Cole Tracy doesn’t have the eye of the tiger.

He is the Tiger.

Louisiana State football fans saw the senior kicker come through in the harshest, most unforgiving environment.

As time expired in Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, Tracy ripped out 87,000 hearts with a 42-yard field goal to help the Bayou Bengals topple the preseason top-10 Auburn Tigers 22-21 in September, his third game in an LSU jersey.

 

One month later, the kid from Camarillo hit five field goals and three extra points against Georgia. Tracy, a Newbury Park High graduate, single-handedly outscored a top-10 team that nearly took home the national championship last year.

Before Louisiana and the rest of college football caught on to the transfer from a small liberal arts school, many in Ventura County knew Tracy was due for a breakout season on a big stage.

“What I see now with him at LSU, I feel like I saw that already in high school,” said Jordan Flack, a former teammate of Tracy’s at Newbury Park who currently plays linebacker for New Mexico.

Cole Tracy

Cole Tracy

Flack wasn’t the only person in the Panther program to see the potential in Tracy’s right leg.

Jason Klein, the current head coach at Newbury Park, was special teams coordinator and defensive coordinator during Tracy’s time with the Panthers.

Even during his senior season in 2013, Tracy had the accuracy, work ethic and attitude to compete in college football’s highest ranks, Klein said.

“I don’t know why nobody went for him. . . . I would say (to recruiters) that they would’ve had a gem in Cole,” Klein said.

But USC and the other bluebloods of college football weren’t interested in Tracy.

The kicker packed his bags for Assumption College, a school of about 2,500 students in Worcester, Mass.

The cross- country move wasn’t easy, but after some time adjusting to life on the East Coast, he found his niche.

“Once I got to Assumption, I felt that this is the place for me and where I wanted to be,” Tracy said.

AUTOMATIC—LSU kicker Cole Tracy will play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day against Central Florida.

AUTOMATIC—LSU kicker Cole Tracy will play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day against Central Florida.

That comfort translated to the field.

Tracy didn’t see any playing time in his first season, but four years after he arrived in Massachusetts, he was the Division II school’s all-time and single-season scoring leader.

While he was setting records, he caught the attention of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. The tough-talking Cajun offered Tracy a scholarship, something not every big-time college kicker gets.

Tracy has made the most of his lone season in the Southeastern Conference.

“I’ve only been (in Baton Rouge) for six or seven months, and I feel like I’ve been here for four years,” Tracy said. “The fan base has kind of wrapped their arms around me and brought me in. It’s remarkable.”

Tracy and the Tigers will wrangle with Central Florida at 10 a.m. Pacific time on New Year’s Day in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.

LSU fans have also embraced Tracy’s parents, Pam and Kent Tracy, who gained some online fame when a video of their Camarillo watch party went viral after Cole’s kick against Auburn.

Cole Tracy said sometimes the people of Baton Rouge recognize his dad from the viral video before they realize the guy who made the kick is standing next to them, too.

“We’ve met some incredible people because we have the name Tracy on the back of our shirts,” Pam Tracy said.

And because of Cole’s success, the Tracys have plenty more people to meet as well, many of them the future faces of the NFL.

The Tracys recently attended the college football awards ceremony in Atlanta; Cole Tracy was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation’s top kicker.

Tracy didn’t win, but he still soaked up the moment and rocked a purple suit in honor of LSU.

“I’ve been pinching myself this entire season, but when I was there in Atlanta being nominated for the most prestigious kicking award out there, (I tried to) take it all in and enjoy every second of it,” he said.

As the season nears its end, Tracy will have two more chances to don the Tiger helmet: in the Fiesta Bowl against undefeated UCF, and in the Senior Bowl, an All-Star game for the top prospects of the NFL draft.

Tracy’s inclusion in the Senior Bowl is an indication of what many around college football have been saying throughout the season: He has a real shot at making an NFL roster next season.

True to form, Tracy is focused on the Fiesta Bowl. The NFL will have to wait.

Kent Tracy said he’s thrilled that not only is his son in a position to achieve his dreams, but he’s done it the right way.

“It’s just fun to see your kids grow up and come into their own and mature. . . . It makes me proud. He’s really grown up and accepted the challenges,” Kent Tracy said.

And with the eyes of Massachusetts, Louisiana and the football world on him, Cole Tracy said he won’t forget those in California who saw his potential first.

“I want to inspire someone else from Ventura County to work as hard as they can to possibly be in this situation,” Tracy said.

In a nutshell

• Cole Tracy, a Newbury Park High graduate and Camarillo native, has made 25 of 29 field goals and all 38 extra points for Louisiana State’s football team.

• Tracy’s 54-yard field goal in his first game with the Tigers, during a win against Miami on Sept. 2, tied a school record.

• He broke Assumption College’s record for career points before transferring to LSU.

• The Tiger was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the best kicker in college football.

• LSU will play Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.