Columbus Lions kicker Trey Crum goes extra miles to excel

Since the Lions returned from a five-week stretch of road games and bye weeks, kicker Trey Crum has made the five-hour drive from his home in Mississippi in the middle of the week to get in any bit of extra practice on the turf.

As he has racked up the miles, Crum has shown the level of dedication he is approaching his job with this season, Lions coach Jason Gibson said.

“The last couple of weeks, I don’t think Trey was happy with how he did,” Gibson said. “He asked me, ‘Coach, when’s the turf going to be out at the Civic Center again? I want to get out there and practice.’ We put it out Wednesday, and he drives all the way out here just for that.”

Crum was a first-team All-American at Delta State and came to the Lions (5-3) after spending 2008 with the Mississippi Mudcats, a former Lions rival in the American Indoor Football Association, and 2009 with the Indoor Football League’s El Paso Generals. He scored 155 points with the Mudcats and led the IFL in field-goal percentage a year later, but Crum said this season has been his most successful yet.

Heading into tonight’s game against the Greenville Force (2-6), Crum leads the Southern Indoor Football League in nearly every kicking category, has accounted for 99 points through eight games and his 12.4 points-per-game average is sixth-best in the league and the most among league kickers.

“This is definitely the best year I’ve had,” Crum said. “I think its because I’m playing with an exceptional team. The chemistry is great between me and my holder, Gerald Gales, and snapper, Justen Rivers. They do a lot to help me out, and that makes a difference.”

When Crum signed with the Lions in late December, he said he knew he had a tough act to follow. Last year’s Lions kicker, Carlos Martinez, led the AIFA in several kicking categories and led the league in scoring much of the season. Martinez signed with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, but Crum’s arrival has left no discernible drop off, Gibson said.

“Carlos was as good as they come,” Gibson said. “I knew it was going to be tough to replace that, but I think Trey gives us that.”

Crum’s consistency (47-for-57 on point-after attempts, 8-for-11 on field-goal attempts) has allowed Gibson more options and taken some of the pressure off of the Columbus offense.

“Regardless of what else happens in the game, he’s going to give us his best,” Gales said of Crum.

Gibson has been more conservative with the play-calling, trying to convert a fourth down a league-low eight times this season.

“With a guy like Trey, why would I waste a shot at three points on a field goal?” Gibson said. “Then he gives me a good chance to get the uno on the next play, and that’s a four-point play right there. That’s much better than going for it on fourth down, and that’s an option that most teams in this league just don’t have.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Columbus Lions kicker Trey Crum goes extra miles to excel."