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f o o t b a l l f e a t u r e : c o d y w e b s t e r Atypical Webster happy to forge his own path Tom Campbell BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com C ody Webster doesn't fit the stereotype. His chest and upper arms are covered in tattoos; he's outgoing, wanting to mingle with about all his teammates rather than hang in his small group on the sideline; and he's an athlete, playing two sports last athletic year at Purdue. The traits really don't sound like what one might expect from a punter, but that's fine. Webster doesn't like to pigeon-hole himself, either. "You don't really think of punters as having tattoos," said Webster, a senior. "I didn't necessarily (get Punter Cody Webster might not have the look of a typical punter, but he takes his craft seriously, and proved to be a valuable weapon a year ago. them) because I wanted to be different, but it's something I liked. People might look at it as 'Oh, he isn't one of those punters who just kicks, he's actually kind of cool, too.'" Webster definitely gives off that vibe. He's one of the guys, not just of his specialist group, but of Purdue's entire 100-man football team, and he's worked hard over the years to make it so. From Day 1 on campus in 2010, he didn't want to be considered only as the Boilermakers' punter. So much like place-kicker Carson Wiggs before him — they were teammates 58 • Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 from 2010-12 — he thought that the specialists should run with other position groups, perhaps with the cornerbacks or linebackers. And that they hit the weight room with some of Purdue's bigger positional players, as well. It helps, too, that Webster's often able to hold his own. "He's in there doing the same workout as everybody else," said Wiggs, now a kicker with the Seattle Seahawks. "Not just some soccer workout that everybody thinks kickers do." In fact, Webster would probably GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com