Diving into his studies

To keep his 4.0 GPA, kicker Clint Stitser focuses on only football and school, even if that means neglecting the one responsibility he has around the house: cleaning the pool

By Jenna Nielsen
The Collegian

Clint Stitser’s pool is dirty.

His roommates knew once school started it wouldn’t get clean. It wouldn’t get clean because the 4.0 GPA student and Fresno State’s starting kicker was studying.

“He studies so much that he can’t even clean the house,” said Cole Popovich, Stitser’s roommate and starting offensive guard. “His only job is the pool and now we have to get a pool man because he studies so much.”

Tom Brandstater, back-up quarterback and one of Stitser’s other roommates, said the pool was clean over the summer before school started.

“Our pool went from being blue to as green as this football field,” Brandstater said.

Stitser has something to show for it though.

The sophomore business major has completed almost 80 units in just two years and has yet to get anything less than an A.

He has been on the President’s list every semester and has received “Academic Top Dog” every year, an award for Fresno State’s top academic athletes. He is also a member of a number of business and academic honor societies on campus.

“If I’m going to do something, I might as well do the best I can and do my best at it,” Stitser said. “I do what’s needed to get an A-whatever it takes I’ll do it.”

Stitser said organization and time management is what keeps him successful both in school and on the football field.

“Being successful at both is very important to me,” Stitser said. “It’s my job, that’s why they brought me here.”

Brandstater said Stitser makes sure to put school first.

“He sets a lot of time aside for school,” Brandstater said. “He makes sure everything is done before he hangs out with us or goes out with the boys. He is very goal-oriented and likes to get things done.”

Stitser played football for McQueen High School in Reno, Nev. when he was recruited by Fresno State. At McQueen, he was a two-time all-state kicker and helped his team to two state championships. As a junior, he kicked 14 field goals and four were of 50 yards or more with a long field goal of 57 yards in a state semifinal game--the second longest field goal in Nevada high school history. He also played strong safety.

“High school had a good program,” Stitser said. “It helped me develop my skill.”

Stitser said he came to Fresno State because of the way the coaches recruited him and they way they run the program. “The community support here at the time was also huge, I mean we played in front of more than 40,000 people the other night--you can’t complain about that.”

Stitser also came to Fresno State on a full scholarship. He said he is going to school for free and getting to do what he loves--playing football.

Stitser said when he was younger his mom always pushed academics and his dad pushed athletics and that the balance was good and worked out for him.

“I lived with my mom during the week and my dad on the weekends,” Stitser said. “My mom always held me to high expectations and for me and my brother and sisters school was our job and that’s what we needed to get done.”

Stitser said getting a bad grade was never an option.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a perfectionist but I expect a lot from myself,” he said. “I am going to make sure I do my best each time and always do better than the time before or be better than I was before.”

He said his dad would always make sure sports were fun and would send him to camp if he needed to.

Head coach Pat Hill said Stitser is not only a model student, but a model person. “He does everything right,” Hill said. “He hasn’t gotten a B--that’s a pretty amazing feat. He’s very intense with everything he does and that’s with a full schedule.”

Hill said Stitser was a first-team all-state safety in high school where he saw him kick a 57-yarder in the snow. “We needed a kicker and we really liked him,” Hill said. “When he goes out on the field you know you are going to get his best effort.”

“Clint is an extremely hard-worker,” said associate head coach John Baxter. “What do you say about a starter in his position who has never made a B?”

“He is an interesting and rare guy,” Baxter said. “He has a gift of athletic ability and a good brain and he maximizes the gifts and talents he’s been given.”

Both Baxter and Hill said Stitser would be a valuable player in other positions besides kicker.

“He’s extremely competitive and if he wasn’t our starting kicker he could be our safety or play in other positions,” Baxter said. “He played defense in high school and he’s always the first one down the field on a kick-off. Not too many kickers do that,” he said.

Baxter also said while Stitser is detailed and is a very good athlete, on top of it all he is still very humble.

“It’s all about knowing what to do is right and doing it,” Stitser said. “If I’m going to do something, I am going to do it right.”

His statistics on the field are also impressive.

He is 9 for 11 in field goals this season and has only missed two all year. Last week, Stitser was one of the four Bulldogs named WAC player of the week.

“It is a great honor,” Stitser said. “But at the same time we are not even halfway through the season. I still have a lot of work to do for us to keep winning,” he said.

Stitser said in the future he would enjoy playing in the NFL, but wherever his career leads him, he plans to remain successful.

“I would love to play football,” Stitser said. “Being a professional kicker in the NFL is one of the hardest things to do because people play for 20 years in that position. But whatever I do career-wise I want to be successful at it and provide the same opportunities for my kids that my parents provided for me.”

As for the pool, “I just bought a brand new filter for it,” Stitser said. “The pool cleans itself now.”

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