| Alexis Serna |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT ALEXIS SERNA | |
| 1985 births | |
| american football placekickers | |
| living people | |
| oregon state beavers football players | |
| people from upland, california | |
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Serna leads a what has been described a storybook college career, one that did not start out on the best foot. His first game as the starting kicker for Oregon State was a trial by fire: The Beavers opened the 2004 season visiting the reigning 2003 BCS national champions LSU Tigers in their famously raucous Tiger Stadium , otherwise known as "Death Valley". The Beavers gave the highly-favored Tigers a very close game, however Serna, then a Walk-on Redshirt Freshman , became the focal point when he missed 3 Extra Point (PAT) attempts in a game where the Beavers lost by one point, 22-21. Complicating matters for Serna, the game ended in an exciting overtime period that hinged on him kicking a PAT to keep the Beavers in the game. When he missed, he immediately pulled off his own helmet and yelled in frustration --an Associated Press photographer caught the moment, and the resulting photo became well publicized by the sports media as a poignant symbol of the trials of kickers in a week where a number of other kickers also missed key kicks. After the heartbreaking loss and the surge in press coverage, Serna received hundreds of letters of support from people across the country. One of these letters came from 12-year-old Austan Pierce, a boy receiving cancer treatment from , Dec. 27, 2004 , ''Accessed Apr. 21, 2006''. He was also named to the College Football News Freshman All-American second team. and to The Sporting News Freshman All-American first team. In the 2005 season he put up even more impressive numbers on his way to winning the Lou Groza Award and several All-American titles, including a place on the AFCA Coaches’ All-America First Team. Austan's cancer going into remission, Serna met Austan for the first time after a victory over Washington State in the 2005 season. After the meeting he is quoted as saying "For a boy who has already endured more pain and hurt at age 12 than most of us will ever experience in our own lifetime, Austan is courageous as they come." Serna holds many Oregon State records, including kicking the most field goals in a single game (6 vs. Washington in an 18-10 victory in 2005), which is also tied for the Pac-10 record, and only one behind the NCAA record of 7. He will be returning to play in the 2006-07 season for the Beavers. FOOTNOTES REFERENCES
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