A major milestone during last Thursday’s NIU football game may have been the record attendance of 28,018 and the win against ranked Maryland, but it wasn’t the only one.

With the score tied at seven after an unsuccessful third down, Huskie kicker Steve Azar didn’t want to settle with a turnover.

“The punters were getting ready, and I just said, ‘Coach, it’s only 52 yards,’” he said.

The kick was also only a yard more than the school record of 51 yards — a record shared by Azar and 1983 kicker Vince Scott.

“Coach [Mike] Sabock told coach Novak, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’” Azar said.

The kick sailed the 52 yards and was stopped only by the net, putting the Huskies up 10-7.

“He makes those kicks in practice all the time,” head coach Joe Novak said. “Mike [Sabock] asked him how he felt; he said he felt fine. I knew there was a chance he’d miss, but we didn’t hesitate.”

Azar, who hopes to be the only player in NIU history to win four All-MAC awards, didn’t always kick field goals, let alone even play football.

“I’d played soccer since I was six,” he said, “but I decided to take a year off when I was in eighth grade. A few friends convinced me to try football. Ever since then, I’ve been kicking.”

Practicing before school with the placekicker and after school with the soccer team, Azar continued both sports in high school at Highlands Ranch in Colorado.

“Football was always for fun,” Azar said, ”but it never came down to a choice between the two sports.”

Azar was offered soccer scholarships by about six schools but decided on NIU as a walk-on recruit, knowing he would have to compete for a scholarship.

The 5-foot-7, 193-pounder was red-shirted his freshman year, backing up All-MAC kicker Kent Baker.

“Working with him really helped me develop,” said Azar.

Kickers, often put on the line to either win or lose the game, often deal with a love-hate relationship from fans.

“In a game against Toledo last year, I had the chance to tie the game, even though it was a 62-yard field goal,” Azar recalled.

“I didn’t make it, and even though there had been many plays before my kick, I felt like I’d let the team down.”

The Rockets handed NIU its lone conference loss last year.

Azar was faced with a similar situation during last week’s game against Maryland.

This time, with five seconds of regulation left, Azar thought he’d won the game with a 42-yard attempt.

“I put my hands up,” he said. “I thought I’d made it.”

The kick was blocked by Maryland safety Madieu Williams.

Heading to the sidelines after the blocked kick, Azar was faced with a situation kickers often face: the possibility of loss due to a missed kick.

“It always lurks in the back of your mind,” Azar said. “We had the momentum, so I just figured, make it: It’s a bonus. If not: We go to overtime.

“Overtime was just the icing on the cake for the fans, but it was a bit stressful,” he added

With the stress out of the way after the win, Azar and his teammates have one thing in mind.

“We want to be the MAC champs,” Azar said. “‘We want the ring’ is our new motto.”

Azar has yet to win a game against Toledo. He’ll look for his second chance at that 62-yarder this year.