Wake Forest Athletics
Mindset is Everything
11/29/2019 4:46:00 PM | Football
Deacon Nation can hear from Chuck Nelson who held Nick Sciba's new NCAA record for 37 years.
Chuck Nelson, President and CEO of the Washington Athletic Club, got his Monday morning started with a statement of condolences from one of his communications specialists.
His 37-year record for consecutive-made field goals had fallen two days prior, when Wake Forest sophomore kicker Nick Sciba drilled four field goals in the 39-27 win over Duke, stretching his streak to 32-straight.
Family > Everything
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) November 26, 2019
🙌 @nicsciba
📺 @accnetwork #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/dtE2DSdAA4
Nelson's record of 30 in a row at the University of Washington in 1981-82 had finally fallen.
"I had no idea," Nelson said.
Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent threatened the record back in 2002, stretching his streak to 24 before a miss. With Nugent's miss 17 years ago, Nelson immediately got a call.
"We still have the record," exclaimed J.E. Kirkpatrick on the other end of the call. Kirkpatrick, an Ohio native, was the long snapper during Nelson's record-setting run.
"He had a great sense of ownership as well, and was very excited that we got to keep it. I've been very surprised it's lasted 37 years. I'll admit I've been proud of it all along. It was inevitable someone would break it."
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson stresses taking the season one week at a time, and that trickles down to the positional level as players often speak of maintaining focus one rep at a time. Nelson said that was the key for his streak 37 years ago.
"Success makes the next bit of success easier," he said. "You get in the zone and missing doesn't even come into your train of thought. You just go out and get it done. The majority of the 30 in my streak were right down the middle. There wasn't much risk involved. Your confidence really does build. There's no fear.
"I didn't make 30 in a row, I made one in a row 30 times. That's the mindset needed to get the job of the moment taken care of."
SCIBBBAAAA!! @nicsciba breaks the @NCAA record for consecutive field goals made with 31! 🙌👟#GoDeacs
— Wake Forest Football (@WakeFB) November 24, 2019
Prior to Nelson, the streak was previously owned by Maryland's Dale Castro, who made his first 16 straight in 1979. Aside from the 16th and 17th field goals, Nelson said he didn't really feel nervous during the streak.
He plans to send a note to Sciba to congratulate him on breaking the record. In addition to the 32-straight field goals, Sciba has also connected on 91-of-91 extra points.
"To be flawless for that many attempts in a row is a testament to skill, focus and concentration," Nelson said. "I have a full understanding and great respect for what it takes to do that. I will say that also accounts for a lot of great snaps and holds, plus nobody on the field goal team letting a defender slip through for a block.
"That's a lot of guys getting it done 120-some times in a row, plus Nick finishing it off in fine fashion."
Of course, Sciba missed three of his first 11 attempts as a freshman last season, including infamously not being on the field as the kicking team lined up for a 38-yard attempt in front of a national TV audience against Notre Dame in his fourth game as a Demon Deacon.
Nelson said he looked up Sciba on Monday morning and that moment was the second thing that he found.
"I was watching that game as it happened," Nelson said. "I remembered that, but didn't connect it to him."
Nelson began his sophomore season, missing three easy attempts: an extra point, and field goal tries from 24 and 27-yards out.
"I know it was a real refocus moment for me, and I had a determination to not let that happen again," Nelson said. "Perhaps Nick had a similar experience with the rough beginning, and got him more determined than ever."
The 30-straight for Nelson came to an end in the fourth quarter of his final game at Washington, on a kick that could have given the Huskies the lead. It was the final kick of his collegiate career, who went on to play in the NFL for five seasons.
"It was surprising," Nelson said. "I was disappointed not so much about the streak, but the time of the game. It would have been nice to have made the final 31 in a row. I never had the opportunity to come out and start a new streak. The biggest disappointment was the impact on the outcome of the game."
His advice to the new record holder?
"One at a time," Nelson said he would say to Sciba. "You haven't made 32 in a row, you've made one in a row 32 times. Don't give in to the concept that it's inevitable that you're going to miss. Go out with every kick that you just have to make that one. It's one at a time, and they all count."
