On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, Central Bucks East senior Barney Amor was recognized for signing to continue his football career at Colgate University. To view a gallery of the event, please check the Photo Gallery.
Barney Amor – Colgate University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Colgate, Stony Brook, Temple, Penn State, Lehigh, Lafayette
Reasons for choosing Colgate: “Out of all the programs I talked to, they were definitely the most honest people throughout the whole process, and I think that’s a big part. You want to be in a football family where everyone is together, and without honesty, I don’t think you can really accomplish that. From the beginning, they said it wasn’t closed doors – it’s all out there. That’s what it is. We don’t have anything to hide. I just found with other football programs there always seemed to be a little something they weren’t quite telling you, and that’s not the situation with Colgate.
“Right now they’re projecting that I’m fighting for the starting position for kickoffs and field goals, and I can compete for their spot as a punter. Whoever starts this coming fall has never kicked in a game for Colgate, so I’m going to go there and compete and fight for a spot.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I played soccer for a while. When I started kicking, I couldn’t make extra points when I was younger, and then I stopped. When I went and kicked again, I realized, ‘Wow, I can actually get the hang of this now.’ It was my junior year when I sat down and talked with coach Donnelly about stuff. I had a school record (field goal) of 46 yards and the longest punt at 66 yards, and that’s when we started talking – we could get something out of this. It could go a lot further than we think it’s going to go.
“I asked if I could go on the field at 6:30 every morning. Me and my mom would go out there 6:30-7, I’d shower at school and then I’d run to class. We went out probably four times a week. It was my junior year it started hitting me that I have to put in more time if I want to do this at the next level.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Barney was a weapon offensively and defensively for us. He could change field position, score a ton of points for us. Our special teams coordinator Tim Barno did a great job working with him the past three years and developing his skills, but ultimately, the life of a kicker sometimes is solitary, and he did a lot of work outside of our practice time to get himself to where he is today. He would come in to work out and kick before school started, he secured the help of Brandon McManus, which gave him really a tremendous advantage.
“It can be a very solitary lifestyle as a kicker, but he was very much a part of the team. He worked out with our team year round, so we’re losing a guy that was a great weapon as a football player, but he’s also a great student and a great character guy. He’s really a great ambassador for our program.”
Assistant coach Tim Barno says: “Barney has a drive within him that he wants to constantly get better, so he’s a student of the game. He sought out help from the coaches, from an outside trainer. He works with Brandon McManus of the Denver Broncos, so he constantly is looking for ways to improve, and that’s what makes him so great. He doesn’t just come out and practice a few minutes here and there and expect that he’s going to be better. He puts in the time. He was coming before school every day to practice kicking and then, of course, go to school and to practice after that. It’s really the drive within him to improve that made him so good.”
About Barney:
Favorite food: Bacon
Favorite movie: Sponge Bob SquarePants
Favorite music: “Africa” by Toto
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