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With spring sports canceled and no Boise State games or practices to write about, the Idaho Press is using this time to check in with former Boise State athletes. This is another entry in our series called ‘Where are they now’.

Kicker Kyle Brotzman played for the Broncos from 2007-10 and is the program’s all-time leader in points (438), made field goals (67) and punting average (44.6 yards). But he’s remembered unfortunately by some for two missed kicks in a 2010 loss at Nevada which kept the Broncos from potentially playing in the Rose Bowl. Brotzman, 33, lives in Meridian and works for Orkin Pest Control.

Idaho Press: What’s life like for Kyle Brotzman these days?

Kyle Brotzman: I still live in town in Meridian and work for Orkin Pest Control as the Northwest Regional Service Manager. No wife, no kids, nothing like that. I did the whole indoor arena football league thing and been done with that for a while. I haven’t officially retired, but my body is telling me to do it.

IP: What was it like to pursue your dream as a professional football player?

KB: It was fun. I got to be around a new group of teammates that had the same passion playing professional football. The AFL has since gone bankrupt again, but I still talk to some of the guys from that team today. It was an awesome experience. Nothing compares to my time at BSU, but going on professionally was a goal of mine and even if it wasn’t the NFL, I was still able to say I played pro football.

IP: What’s it like living in town and being able to follow your alma mater closely?

KB: It’s awesome. I’m just a normal Idahoan living life and enjoying this town and what it has to offer. Being able to go and be a fan in the stands and watch games and experience that side of things, it’s always fun. I have a brother that works at BSU, so I still get to see a lot of what goes on and I get to hang out with some of the guys I don’t see much. It’s an awesome experience. I have all my family here so having them around, I can’t ask for anything better.

IP: How did you end up working for Orkin Pest Control? Was it just a job or a field you always wanted to pursue?

KB: Not at all. I don’t really even like bugs in general. I got my business degree. I was traveling back from Jacksonville (Florida) after I had a whole debacle there with the coaches and doctors there and my brother was talking with my current boss now at the time and he had asked what I was planning to do and wanted to know if I’d be interested in interviewing for a position as an outside sales guy. That was almost four years ago and it was probably the best choice I’ve made. I love where I’m at, my boss is awesome and cares about everybody and I don’t see it going anywhere else with the company other than up.

IP: Refresh us on the ‘debacle’ in Jacksonville. What happened?

KB: I had a bunch of medical stuff going on but I got cleared to play, the league cleared me. I got to Jacksonville after driving all the way there, and had signed a contract to play for the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL. On the first day of camp, I go through the physicals and stuff, and I saw a doctor for about three minutes and then they said they wouldn’t clear me because of my back, even though other doctors and the league had cleared me. But they wouldn’t let me play, so I had to turn around and drive all the way back home. I did a little bit of kicking afterwards, Spokane needed me for a few games, and last year with the Horsemen here in town, I ended up playing a few games to help them out when a guy went down.

IP: How do you look back at your Boise State career almost 10 years later?

KB: I wouldn’t change anything. I had really low expectations going in when I walked on. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I didn’t have any expectations, so I wouldn’t change anything that happened. The highs, the lows, it all shaped me into who I am today. I’d do it all over again and wouldn’t change a thing.

IP: You scored the most points in program history and you still hold the career marks for both made field goals and punting. You have to be pretty satisfied with your career overall?

KB: Yeah definitely. I don’t worry about stats. I just wanted to go perform and help out however I could, but setting those marks and be able to hold onto them for a while has been awesome. Hopefully somebody comes in and breaks them at some point because that means the program is having success and good things are happening. But setting those marks, I never had any idea or thought I was going to be able to do something like that.

IP: But despite all that success, the two missed kicks against Nevada in 2010 will be what some remember most. Is that tough to take?

KB: The highs and lows of my career, that’s what made my career just that. I was successful. I did have a few bumps in the road, but my stats would definitely prove otherwise than just two kicks in my lifetime. I’m just a normal person living a normal life, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I got to experience something great and I’m thankful for it. At the end of the day, people can have their own opinion of my career and how it ended up. I know how it is.

IP: The death threats have probably stopped, but what’s it like still living in town and being known as the guy that missed those kicks and the ramifications of what that loss meant for the team?

KB: I’m fine with it. I can make light of the situation now. It’s been almost 10 years now. It does still pop up. I’ll have someone say they recognize my name or say ‘oh you’re the kicker’ and I’ll say ‘yeah, that’s me.’ They will bring up the misses and I’ll say ‘yeah, but I did throw that pass in the Fiesta Bowl that helped us win’. It is what it is. I’m not going to let that ruin my day or my life and what I have going on because I can’t complain with how my life is at this point in time. I’m at ease with all of it.

IP: What was it like to be a local kid and get to play for the Broncos and be part of the history and the story of the rise of Boise State football?

KB: It’s amazing. There was so much history before our time, and a lot of the guys paved the way for us, and we kind of paved the way for the guys coming into the program now. It’s awesome to be part of, and I’m truly blessed to be part of it. I’m thankful for the opportunity I got and the coaches, coach Pete and coach Choate, and all the teammates I got to play with that helped me be successful. If we didn’t have one of the top offenses I the nation and Kellen Moore, I don’t think I’d have a lot of the points I did. Words can’t really describe what it means to be part of the team and that program. I can’t really explain it. It was amazing.

This article originally ran on idahopress.com.

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