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Man Of Many Stories Sit down with Cody Webster for a half hour, and you might hear him spin a few tales. Some might be embellished, like his story of his kickball championship days as a youth — it's how he got started as a punter, you know — or the time a few months ago that he struck out a soon-to-be firstround MLB draft choice. "I was the only one to strike him out," he said. He'll joke that he came to Purdue as an athlete, but Danny Hope saw him kick and made him the team's punter. Others might be more serious. He'll explain a few of his tattoos, including the deck of cards above his left elbow, a nod to his birthday (6/1/1991) and not an endorsement of gambling. You've got a question; he's got a story. "I like to hang my hat on stories to keep it interesting," he said with a laugh. But whatever the occasion, you can have no doubt that Webster will likely chime in. "About half the stories he does tell are probably made up," former teammate Carson Wiggs said. "They're so far-fetched. But whether they're real or not, he sure does tell them well." — Kyle Charters like it if Purdue wouldn't even list him on the official roster as a punter at all. In high school, at Central Dauphin East in Harrisburg, Pa., Webster played some wide receiver and cornerback, along with his kicking duties, and also got a start at quarterback as a senior, when the regular QB was out with an injury. He played baseball, too, as an outfielder and pitcher, using that experience to get him an opportunity as a reliever with the Boilermakers earlier this spring. "I always tell them that when I got here, Coach (Danny) Hope scholarshipped me as an athlete, then he saw me kick and just said I was the punter," he said jokingly. "At least that's what I like to tell everybody. "I can't speak for most punters, but for me, I like to be looked at as an athlete. Not only do I like to compete on the field, but I like to off the field, training, working out, things like that." Webster's desire to compete led him to the baseball field this spring, where he earned a spot on the Boilers' GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com 35-man roster after going through a tryout, first as an outfielder, then as a pitcher. He had to balance spring workouts with baseball, often getting up early for football 6 a.m. workouts in Mollenkopf Athletic Center then being there again in the late evening for baseball practice. Spring football practice came first, but Webster was able to be at most of Purdue's home baseball games and was on a few road trips, too. Webster, a lefty pitcher as well as lefty punter, was used sparingly — he was rusty, having not played since his senior season at Central Dauphin East — pitching 1 2/3 innings in three appearances in 2012. Webster says he probably won't play as a senior, wanting to give another walk-on a chance to make the roster while he prepares for an opportunity in the NFL. But he was happy to have his one season. "He had been talking about that since I'd been at Purdue," sophomore place-kicker Paul Griggs said. "It is a big testament to how athletic he is." But Webster takes his primary job seriously, and he's gradually improved through his first three years at Purdue to now being considered among the best in the Big Ten. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder averaged 42.3 yards per punt, the third-longest average in the Big Ten. But that tells only part of the story: Webster also had a knack for placing the ball inside the opponent's 20-yard line, doing so 29 times in 70 attempts with only seven touchbacks. Early in the season, in particular, Webster received deserved credit for keeping the Boilermakers in games, like vs. Notre Dame, when six of his seven punts landed inside the Irish 20. Yet, Webster feels he doesn't always get the respect he deserves. In the preseason, Phil Steele's magazine listed him fourth-team All-Big Ten. Webster takes issue with such perceived slights, and even called out the college football expert on Twitter. "I kind of laughed at him," Webster said. "I just feel like even with the Big Ten, they kind of look at the average, that's how they base on who's first team, who's second team, they don't really look at the intangibles of 'Well, he put 29 inside the 20, which kind of skewed his average.' "… I definitely take that to heart. You work so hard, but then they look over it just because of your position. Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 59