The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kukura thankful to be at JCU
Sam Kukura remembers the phone call that helped him make the decision of a lifetime.
Three years ago, he was relaxing in his Kent State dormitory room, and received a call. On the other end was his high school coach, Kirtland’s Tiger LaVerde.
“I remember saying, ‘Listen, this is a game, and it’s more fun to play.’ ” said LaVerde. “It doesn’t matter where you play. ‘Would you rather get 10, 15, 20 carries a game or run down on three kickoffs?’ ”
It made Kukura think long and hard about his football future.
At the time of that call, he was a special teams player at Kent State following two seasons there, including a redshirt as a freshman.
After spring ball in 2016, Kukura realized his chance to ever get carries as a running back for Kent were a long shot at best. He took his high school coach’s and his father Dan’s advice, and looked at the Division III level — specifically the school that recruited him heavily.
A few months later, he was at John Carroll. A few months after that, the Blue Streaks were Ohio Athletic Conference champions, beat Mount Union in a historic win, and advanced to the NCAA DIII national semifinal round, where it finished one game short of the Stagg Bowl.
Kukura finished the 2016 season with nearly 900 yards and 14 touchdowns. He led the team with 165 carries.
“This is a dream come true,” said Kukura of his college journey. “I’ll say it
until the day I die: This was the best decision of my life to come to John Carroll.”
Attending Kent State and playing ball for the Golden Flashes was another dream for Kukura. His father Dan Kukura played at Kent, where he was the backup to future Hall of Fame Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert. He eventually switched positions to center and in his final year was the starter. Following in his father’s footsteps meant everything for Kukura, an only child.
“We have a very special bond,” said Kukura of his father, the former head coach at Kirtland and North.
Fast forward two years, and Kukura’s playing career is winding down to one last season. The team opens the 2018 season Sept. 1 at Wisconsin Stevens-Point, where Kukura will likely get the bulk of carries as the team’s No. 1 running back. It will also mark his fifth college season.
“The guys make jokes about it all the time ... ‘Old
man Kuk,’ ” said Kukura, who at 22 is the second oldest player on the team.
Kukura welcomes being a senior. To him, it’s much more than getting playing time. With experience comes responsibility, and Kukura understands that.
He remembers arriving at JCU in the summer of 2016. He was filled with anxiety and nervousness, hoping to fit in, but those worries didn’t last. He was welcomed with open arms from all.
The experience he carried with him from Kent State plus time served at JCU have served Kukura well, but now as a senior, things are different.
“I love having that role,” said Kukura of being a leader. “A lot of these guys, we’ve become great friends, and it’s incredible we all have the same mindset we had as seniors at Kirtland.”
Kukura’s mindset is what might set him apart from others initially, but
it’s also an example of what can help a team evolve and grow. LaVerde watched it in person while Kukura was a standout running back for the Hornets.
“Energy, charisma, loves the game,” said LaVerde. “Anyone who loves to come to practice, they’re going to get better, and they’re going to make people around them better. It’s contagious. He’s one of those guys that are born leaders.”
First-year coach Rick Finotti has always preached this about the players he covets — “I want guys that love the game” — and in Kukura he immediately found one. He was so enamored with Kukura, Finotti couldn’t help trying him out at different spots on the field in 2017. In practices, he was used at linebacker and safety and by the midway point of the season was added to the special teams unit, where he made four tackles.
“He’s a throwback, no
doubt about it,” said Finotti.
All of which has to be sweet music to the ears of Kukura’s father, whose earliest memories of the two bonding about football was little Sam sitting on the couch while his dad the coach analyzed game film.
“He was always asking questions,” said Dan Kukura about those nights. “That was our time to bond. I could sense he was really enjoying it.”
That football bug was implanted early in Kukura’s life, and it’s not going away. He’s set to graduate in December with a degree in exercise science, and hopes to be a strength or football coach. Last summer, he interned under Perry teacher Mike Crissinger, who’s also the Pirates’ strength coach.
First though, it’s one last season on the gridiron carrying the ball for the Blue Streaks, being a football player and a leader.
Said Kukura: “This is where I belong.”