“I almost want to cry thinking about that day,” she said. Late in training camp, Sanchez called girlfriend Cynthia, who would later become his wife. What chance did a little-known undrafted free agent have against a player who had punted reasonably well in the NFL? But Rigo came, and Rigo won the job. It was all a little bit confusing because the Colts had just signed a veteran punter named Jeff Locke.

On draft night, he kept calling Rigo and saying, ‘If nobody takes you (in the draft), we want you here, we want you here.’ ” (Russell Lansford / Getty Images)Īt the time, then-Colts special teams coach, Tom McMahon, had his eyes on Sanchez. Rigoberto Sanchez blossomed at the University of Hawaii as a kicker and punter. I’ve been an athlete my whole life and I wanted to challenge myself to do it, and help him any way I could.” Eventually, he said, ‘You can throw them to me.’ I got to the point where I was snapping it through my legs. “And he said, ‘No, just as long as I can do my thing (with football).’ So I started going out and practicing with him, shagging balls and putting them in a little pile. “At first, I thought I might be a distraction,” Cynthia said. Really, who doesn’t want to spend a couple of years in Hawaii? Second, he was transferring to the University of Hawaii. She didn’t hesitate – for two good reasons: One, she saw a future with him, whether he kicked or did something else entirely.

“If this is going to work, you’re going to have to come with me,” Rigo told her. He kicked off and booted field goals at Butte – punting wouldn’t come until later - and now was the time to let the world know about this burgeoning, come-from-nowhere talent.įirst, though, he had to talk to Cynthia. The pair began to date, but by Rigo’s sophomore season at Butte, it was becoming apparent that if he wanted to have a shot at the NFL, he needed to leave home and transfer to a major university. One day, Rigo asked Cynthia to come to a Butte College football game and despite her disinterest in the sport, she showed up. “Not because of his talent – he was insanely good at soccer, too – but because he was so cute.” “My first impression was, ‘Oh my God, who is that?’ “ Cynthia said Wednesday. Was it love at first (or second) sight? Not exactly, but there was a connection, something exciting and new and worth pursuing. They were sitting near one another in a study hall when it happened. Cynthia played on the women’s soccer team. Both were athletes: Rigo, as everybody calls him, played soccer and then turned to football. “I’m so proud of both our families.”īut it wasn’t until Rigoberto and Cynthia were students at Butte College in Oroville, Calif., that the fuse was lit. “Ambition was all they had,” Cynthia said.

When Pigs Fly by Bob Sanchez