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When Steve Aponavicius, CSOM '09, took the field to kick his first extra point against Virginia Tech, his parents, roommates, and teammates held their breath with the rest of Alumni Stadium until the kick split the uprights. Commentators called him an unknown quantity, but for those fortunate enough to know him, Aponavicius had been exactly the opposite: an easygoing, jovial guy with a passion for the Philadelphia Phillies. His story is the stuff of feel-good football movies, but it is the persona behind it that is truly compelling. "Steve-O" has made an impression on fans, friends, and media alike - all while keeping the same affable demeanor before and after his brush with fame and football.
The Aponavicius story represents the talented, driven, and above all, decent students of Boston College who hope for a chance at greatness. The Heights is proud to name Steve Aponavicius the 2007 Person of the Year.
The Story By now, we all know the story. Aponavicius' introduction to BC football came in the stands in his Superfan shirt and a sombrero. A defenseman on his high school soccer team, Aponavicius was discovered kicking field goals one evening by a team assistant and was offered a chance to walk on to the football team. The rest is history: a perfect two-for-two on field goals and two extra points in his first-ever game of organized football against Virginia Tech, the assumption of the starting kicker role with the dismissal of Ryan Ohliger, and the winning field goal as time expired in the Meinike Car Care Bowl against Navy.
It was the stuff of legend. "Once I found out that I was going to be playing, it was really just a rush of emotions," said Aponavicius. "I went from being a fan to being eighth-string kicker to actually playing. And to do it against a top 25 team and one that's known for its special teams, I couldn't really have written a story better. To go from never playing football to that was pretty unbelievable."
"But going out for that first extra point, I took my steps back and looked up at the JumboTron right behind the uprights. To see my picture on that was really kind of the first time I realized that this was actually happening. It went through the uprights, thankfully. It was a crazy feeling like nothing I've ever felt before."
The media-friendly story exploded on the national scene. According to Chris Cameron, BC's associate athletic director in charge of media relations, calls came in from CNN, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and even Ellen DeGeneres.
"It's rare for a popular story to get this sort of attention," said Cameron.
The attention caught Aponavicius unprepared. He amused reporters (who were ever referring to him as likeable, fresh faced, and grinning) with his exuberant behavior on the field and with the media, coming overdressed for his first postgame news conference in a coat and tie.
"I was all so strange to me," said Aponavicius. "I didn't know how to deal with it, going from nothing like that before. I made the local paper before in high school for hitting a single in baseball or having an assist in soccer, but nothing like this. It was strange, but obviously an awesome thing to happen … It was just funny, all the things that happened and just how quickly things change."
What hasn't changed is Aponavicius. On and off the field, he has maintained the smile and personality that won him so many admirers.
Kevin Murphy, A&S '09, who first met a maroon-and-gold-painted Aponavicius last year on their way to the Army game, now shares a room in Walsh with him. While he said that Aponavicius uses his story "all the time" to impress girls, he said Aponavicius never let success go to his head.
"He didn't get carried away with it. He was never like 'Oh, look at me, I'm a superstar now.' He stayed very down-to-earth."
"Not much has changed," said backup kicker Sam Lovett, A&S '10. "Same guy, same workouts, same routine. The guys respect him a lot and feel confident playing with him."
The Person From Easton, Pa., Aponavicius is the grandchild of Lithuanian immigrants (from whom he takes his distinctive last name) who fled Soviet occupation to America. He credits them with inspiring him through hard times and expanding his culinary taste.
"I got to eat some disgusting food as a kid," he said. "Growing up, that was a part of my experience. Seeing where they came from, having no choice but to leave their country, it really helped me put things into perspective so that when little problems come along, [I can think], well, I'm not being forced out of my home and having travel thousands and thousands of miles.
Aponavicius said that his family has been instrumental in the development of his personality. When asked why stories constantly referred to him as "likeable guy," he credited his mother.
"Coming from where I did, I have no choice. I think my mom would kill me if I changed into a cocky football player," said Aponavicius. "I couldn't ever imagine being like that. I really enjoy being around people."
"I think he understands that it's like reality," said Steve's father, Ben Aponavicius. "You can fall just as fast as you can rise up."
"It's always been Steve's personality. He's always been very easygoing," said his mother, Jan Aponavicius.
Outside of football, Steve's life looks very much like that of any student. He's not sure what he wants to do with his life, he has no money left on his meal plan, and he has to balance his extracurricular activities with a full load of courses. With a finance and marketing concentration in Carroll School of Management, Steve earned All-ACC academic honors for maintaining a GPA above a 3.0. Aponavicius said the biggest change going from student to student-athlete has been the time commitment.
"The time commitment is different. Everyday life is really mapped out now with football. Especially come fall, we get a schedule with just about every minute of every day as to what we are going to do," said Aponavicius. "In some ways it cuts into study time, but it forces you to be good at time management. It is a lot of time, but we do have enough time to finish work and stuff. There are days when I'm tired from lifting and all that and it becomes increasingly more difficult to do that problem set or write that paper."
This summer, when many CSOM majors will be doing internships and building a résumé, Aponavicius will be on the practice field doing two-a-days. As one of the thousands of NCAA players who will probably be going pro in something other than football, Aponavicius said he hopes that future employers will look at his football experience as a positive.
"I'm hoping that prospective employers will look on the fact that I play football as a positive and not as a negative. It is tough that you can't do internships over the summer," said Aponavicius.
For all the time commitment and sacrifices, Aponavicius knows he is living a dream. With a top-rated kicker coming in from California, he knows he will have to fight to stay in the starting role. Still, he's relishing an opportunity he never thought he'd have - the opportunity for people to know his name.
"After the games when we come out from the locker room there is always a group of people waiting. Sometimes there will be a lot of kids there asking for autographs. It's just so strange for me to be doing that, but it's a lot of fun," said Aponavicius. "I always think, people cannot really want my autograph. It takes so long to sign, too, with my last name, but I can never turn that down."
"I think I've been exposed to a lot more just as any college kid is - living on your own and that sort of thing. And then through football, just seeing what this part of life is like that I never thought I would get to see is just cool. I keep saying 'awesome,' but that is the best word I can use to describe the situation."
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