Former Bulldog earns All-Big Sky football honors

SANDPOINT — Three games into his senior football season at Eastern Washington University, Cody Hecker wasn’t playing as much as he’d anticipated, and accomplishing the goals he set while working out over the summer seemed slim, at best.

But the former Sandpoint football standout kept hitting the weight room hard, kept logging extra footwork drills and kept fighting for playing time, which came in the fourth week. Finally starting on a couple of the special teams, Hecker made four solid tackles on kick coverage, and the coaches noticed. Before he knew it the backup running back was starting on all of the special teams.

Hecker, who dropped more than 30 pounds and played the season at a more natural and quicker 6-0, 190 pounds, continued to excel on special teams, ultimately earning the Eagles’ Special Teams Player of the Year Award, announced on Saturday at the season-ending awards banquet in Cheney. Hecker also earned honorable mention special teams honors on the Big Sky All-Conference team.

“It’s so awesome to end on that high note,” said Hecker on Monday. “Going into the season that (award) was my main focus, and I wanted a touchdown. I worked my butt off and got both of those.”

Hecker finished with 13 total tackles on special teams, and also had several returns in the kicking game as one of the deep men. He also rushed for 136 yards and scored two touchdowns as a back up running back, including a highlight reel run on Youtube where Hecker hurdles two would-be ball carriers, a move he started using at Sandpoint and employed numerous times at the college level.

“I don’t know why hurdling comes naturally to me,” said Hecker, who gets to keep the coveted sledge hammer the special teams’ player of the week carries onto the field before each game. “It (award) was a big competition with other guys. There are so many phenomenal athletes.”

Hecker won a national championship while playing for the Eagles, who were knocked out in the semi-finals this season by Illinois State. Hecker had the chance to play for one of the top coaches in the FCS ranks in Beau Baldwin, and a speech by the coach on Senior Day remains one of Hecker’s fondest memories of college football.

As an underclassman, Hecker had heard the coach’s annual speech about laying it all on the line for the seniors a handful of times. But when Baldwin delivered Senior Day speech this year, it packed a lot more power.

“It never hits you until you are a senior,” described Hecker. “It was probably one of the most touching moments of my life.”

Hecker wished to thank his parents, Curt and Barb Hecker, and everyone else in Sandpoint that supported him over the years.