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University of Minnesota Athletics
Camp Blog: Captain's Corner
8/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Camp Blog: Captain's Corner - Kim Royston
Kim Royston's Golden Gopher teammates had a number of reasons not to vote him a captain.
After all, Royston chose to attend border rival Wisconsin coming out of St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall, before deciding to transfer home to Minnesota prior to the 2008 season. On top of that, his teammates couldn't even be sure that Royston would play this season after he suffered a potentially devastating broken leg during spring practices.
But none of that mattered to Royston's teammates. Despite playing two seasons for the Badgers and the questions surrounding his health, Royston was an easy selection among his peers to lead the Gophers in the 2010 season.
"It was such a great honor, especially with me coming from another Big Ten school," Royston said. "It just showed that the guys had a lot of respect for me. Even though I could have been out for the whole year. It still showed that they just loved me and they really just took a look at my leadership skills. I'm definitely taking it as a great opportunity to lead these guys throughout the whole season."
Nobody was happier for Royston to be named a captain than head coach Tim Brewster, who Royston credits for creating the atmosphere around the Gopher program that made him want to return home.
"He's very much a leader on our football team," Brewster said. "He's a guy that our other players look to for guidance, look to for confidence. He's got his mind in the right place. He's been great with the young guys. Kim is an invaluable member of this football team."
One of the young guys Brewster mentioned is Shady Salamon, who is making the transition from playing running back to the safety position. Salamon has known about Royston's leadership skills for a little longer than most of his Gopher teammates.
"He's been a great leader for me," Salamon said. "He went to high school with me. I've known him since I was a sophomore in high school, when he was a senior. He's been helping me out personally, ever since I have been playing varsity football. Here at the University of Minnesota, he's expanded it even that much more. He's grown as a leader."
Salamon said Royston's injury and questions about his playing status had absolutely no bearing on his vote for Royston as a captain.
"Obviously we wanted him to get better," Salamon said. "But it wasn't even a second-guess for me. I knew I was going to vote him for captain no matter what, just because of the leadership he's shown me since 10th grade. It was no question for me."
Salamon and the Gophers didn't have any doubts about Royston's leadership when naming him a captain in 2010. But back in 2008, Royston wondered how he might be viewed in the locker room after coming in from Wisconsin.
"When I decided to come back home to Minnesota, I had my doubts as to how the team would receive me," Royston said. "But as soon as I got here, they welcomed me with open arms. It was definitely a smooth transition."
So why did Royston decide to come back to his home state a few years ago?
"The thing that made me want to come back here was that Coach Brewster had a lot of excitement around the program with the new stadium and bringing in a lot of tough recruits," he said.
Plus, Royston said, he just plain missed Minnesota.
"I missed home," he added. "I just missed the Minnesota feel. I live about eight minutes from campus. It's great to get home-cooked food and just go home whenever you want to.
The Gophers are more than happy to have Royston back home ... where he belongs.
-Associate Athletic Communications Director Andy Seeley
