This punter's college career ends with the Hawkeyes and palm trees

TAMPA, Fla. — For whatever reason, Iowa gets weird about its punters.

Probably because there is a mile of internet yuks about Kirk Ferentz and his perceived affinity for the art of punting. The word 'perceived' needs to be in there, because the Hawkeyes haven't finished higher than fifth in the league in total punts over the last nine seasons. So, there's that.

The point here is Iowa loves its punters and Ron Coluzzi has fit like a kicking shoe.

He's done good things on the field. He's particularly proud of his 41.3-yard average, Iowa's highest since 2010 (Ryan Donahue put up a 44.59 average) and fifth in the Big Ten this season.

Big Ten weather is tough on punters.

'I'm very jealous of the SEC kickers,' Coluzzi said Friday. 'They get to kick in this all the time. This is unreal.'

So, it's in this setting, with palm trees and police escorts (seriously, there were six police cars lined up to help Iowa players cross a street) that we bid farewell to Coluzzi. This is a football journey that started at Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Mich., which is closer to the Manistee National Forest than Detroit.

The collegiate part of his career will end Monday in the Outback Bowl, when the Hawkeyes (8-4) face Florida (8-4).

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'On the first punt I had against Miami (Ohio), I had a standing ovation from the crowd,' Coluzzi said. 'I can't stress how much I love them, how much I appreciate their support. It's been a dream come true.'

Told you Iowa gets weird about its punters.

The Outback Bowl isn't Coluzzi's first bowl experience. It's not even his first experience with police escorts. Coluzzi graduated from Naperville (Ill.) North and redshirted at CMU in 2012. In 2014, the Chippewas played in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, which is played in The Bahamas, an impoverished island country between Miami and Cuba.

Coluzzi had his eyes opened to the world during that trip. He was struck by the poverty. The teams had police escorts not because of the traffic, but because of the potential for crime.

'I remember the night before the game, they put out grills for the Popeyes chicken and they were stolen,' Coluzzi said. 'There were four grills stolen before the game, so they didn't have chicken ready. ...

'It was interesting going through the towns and getting to the practice field. It makes you grateful for what you have back home. You appreciate the everyday things, like running water.'

Coluzzi spent three years as CMU's kickoff specialist and two as its punter. After last season, he graduated and wanted to give the big time a shot. After Dillon Kidd graduated in 2015, Iowa had no one with experience on the roster. Eventually, Iowa assistant Seth Wallace hooked up with Coluzzi and he was on his way to Iowa City.

Of course, you know that came with no promises. You know that Iowa doesn't do that. Coluzzi might've lost the job to redshirt freshman Colten Rastetter. He might not have won the kickoff job (Coluzzi leads the Big Ten in touchback percentage with 64.5 percent of his kicks going into the end zone).

'That's just kind of the way I live my life,' Coluzzi said about taking that chance at Iowa. 'No matter what you do, you can be happy or you can be miserable. That's your choice. If you enjoy what you do, you can progress and be the best person or the best punter you can be, whatever you do. When I left CMU, I wanted to be the best punter I could be, and I knew Iowa would give me the resources I need to maybe get a shot at the next level or average more than 40 yards a punt for a season in the Big Ten, which isn't easy to do with the weather.'

There also was that magic night in November, when Iowa beat Michigan 14-13 on ABC. Coluzzi was the holder for Keith Duncan's 33-yard game-winner as time expired. Coluzzi and Duncan ended up on the bottom of a pile of teammates. Kinnick Stadium fans emptied the bleachers and partied with the players on the field.

From Mount Pleasant, Mich., to The Bahamas to Iowa City to the night against Michigan and now to the final college stop in Tampa, Coluzzi has wrung a lot of life experience out of a job that, on a busy night, might not add up to double digits in plays.

But that's OK, punters are players, too. Coluzzi has felt every bit of that in his year with the Hawkeyes.

'Celebrating with your teammates makes this even better,' he said. 'When you have a team that surrounds you with love and support, that makes it even more enjoyable. After a big punt, a good kickoff or a game-winning field goal and you're able to celebrate with your boys and have the whole stadium support you, it's an unreal feeling.'

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