Bobcat History Lesson: Ken Amato
9/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Butch Damberger remembers the day, in August of 1997, when fellow Bobcat assistant Jim Michalczik asked for volunteers to snap on Bobcat punts and place kicks at a practice session during fall camp. A few hands shot into the air, but a workout proved none reliable enough. The next day, offensive lineman Walter Glover mentioned to Damberger and Michalczik that his former junior college teammate, Bobcat linebacker Ken Amato, was pretty handy at long snaps.
After being approached by the coaches, Amato had a simple explanation for not raising his hand. "I didn't want to long snap," Damberger remembers him saying. "You're our long snapper," Michalczik replied, quickly ending the conversation and the search for a volunteer.
A decade later, Amato is the only active Bobcat in the National Football League. He is in his fifth season with the Tennessee Titans, and while he has proven valuable on kick and punt coverage units and as a reserve linebacker, his primary vocation, of course, is long snapping.
"It's funny how things work out," Damberger laughs.
Damberger found Amato at Moorpark College in California in the spring of 1997. Amato had been a standout linebacker at Moorpark who had slipped through the recruiting cracks, and Damberger saw promise. "He was big and strong," he says, "and you could tell from film that he was a tough kid." Damberger signed Amato with head coach Cliff Hysell's blessing, although Hysell had not met Amato and Amato had never been to Bozeman, bringing him to campus just in front of his fateful rendezvous with Michalczik.
Following a former high school teammate to California, Amato was an all-conference and all-state linebacker at Moorpark. The native of Puerto Rico had been a solid player at Braddock High School in Miami, particularly after he grew seven inches just before his senior season. After graduating from MSU, Amato returned to Miami, where he worked with troubled youth and kept himself in shape, waiting for his chance in the NFL. Five years after last playing football in a game, and after several near-miss tryouts, that chance came during training camp with the Titans in 2003. During the 2004 season, Amato gained momentary fame for executing a direct snap out of field goal formation to running back Troy Fleming, who was lined up outside the hash mark. Fleming scampered for a first down.
While his football legacy stands as a long-time NFL player, Amato will always be remembered in Bozeman as a hard-nosed hybrid between a defensive end and linebacker in the Bobcats' attacking defenses of the late '90s. He registered 48 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a junior, registering eight tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry in MSU's win over Weber State that snapped a three-year losing streak against the Wildcats. He rang up a dozen tackles against Cal Poly. His teammates elected him as a team captain in 1998, and he responded with another very good season. Amato had 41 tackles, five for a loss, with a pair of sacks. He logged seven tackles and recovered a fumble in a home win over Sacramento State.
During the Tennessee Titans' open week, the Bobcats proudly welcome Ken Amato back to Bobcat Stadium Saturday.
After being approached by the coaches, Amato had a simple explanation for not raising his hand. "I didn't want to long snap," Damberger remembers him saying. "You're our long snapper," Michalczik replied, quickly ending the conversation and the search for a volunteer.
A decade later, Amato is the only active Bobcat in the National Football League. He is in his fifth season with the Tennessee Titans, and while he has proven valuable on kick and punt coverage units and as a reserve linebacker, his primary vocation, of course, is long snapping.
"It's funny how things work out," Damberger laughs.
Damberger found Amato at Moorpark College in California in the spring of 1997. Amato had been a standout linebacker at Moorpark who had slipped through the recruiting cracks, and Damberger saw promise. "He was big and strong," he says, "and you could tell from film that he was a tough kid." Damberger signed Amato with head coach Cliff Hysell's blessing, although Hysell had not met Amato and Amato had never been to Bozeman, bringing him to campus just in front of his fateful rendezvous with Michalczik.
Following a former high school teammate to California, Amato was an all-conference and all-state linebacker at Moorpark. The native of Puerto Rico had been a solid player at Braddock High School in Miami, particularly after he grew seven inches just before his senior season. After graduating from MSU, Amato returned to Miami, where he worked with troubled youth and kept himself in shape, waiting for his chance in the NFL. Five years after last playing football in a game, and after several near-miss tryouts, that chance came during training camp with the Titans in 2003. During the 2004 season, Amato gained momentary fame for executing a direct snap out of field goal formation to running back Troy Fleming, who was lined up outside the hash mark. Fleming scampered for a first down.
While his football legacy stands as a long-time NFL player, Amato will always be remembered in Bozeman as a hard-nosed hybrid between a defensive end and linebacker in the Bobcats' attacking defenses of the late '90s. He registered 48 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a junior, registering eight tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry in MSU's win over Weber State that snapped a three-year losing streak against the Wildcats. He rang up a dozen tackles against Cal Poly. His teammates elected him as a team captain in 1998, and he responded with another very good season. Amato had 41 tackles, five for a loss, with a pair of sacks. He logged seven tackles and recovered a fumble in a home win over Sacramento State.
During the Tennessee Titans' open week, the Bobcats proudly welcome Ken Amato back to Bobcat Stadium Saturday.
Monday, August 24
Monday, August 24
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
