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University of Minnesota Athletics
Mortell Backs Pack, But Helps Vikings
11/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Rachel Timmerman
Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Though senior punter Peter Mortell’s loyalty lies with the Maroon and Gold, it also belongs to the Green and Gold.
His love for the Green Bay Packers stems from his family ties to the team. His grandfather ran the official game clock for the Packers for years and now his father carries on that tradition at famed Lambeau Field.
“Growing up, I sat with my dad at games,” said Mortell. “It’s something he’s done all through my upbringing, so it’s been cool for me to be able to sit with him at games and see the behind the scenes of an NFL game.”
A Green Bay native, Mortell lives close enough to the stadium that he can walk there. Naturally, he did that a lot.
“I worked for the Packers all through high school, so I sat in the press box for games,” Mortell said. “It’s been a big part of me growing up.”
Though he’s a cheesehead at heart, Mortell said he never was a Badger fan.
“The first time I went to Camp Randall was when we played there,” Mortell said.
Many of his friends ended up at Wisconsin, but he chose a different route.
“To come over and cross into Viking territory, it was definitely tough at first,” Mortell said. “I didn’t really know what my journey would be like on the football team, or in academics, or being a part of a big city. But I love it here. I love the city and everyone around it. The program has been so good to me. It’s been a great fit.”
Last season, Mortell led the Big Ten in punting and was named the 2014 Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Big Ten Punter of the Year and was named All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches and media.
And with the Vikings finding a temporary home in TCF Bank Stadium, some unlikely friends picked Mortell’s brain for advice.
Transitioning from a dome to an outdoor stadium, Vikings punter Jeff Locke and kicker Blair Walsh asked for Mortell’s input on kicking in TCF Bank Stadium.
“He gave us some really good initial information in terms of where the winds come from, what the usual day will be like, what he tries to do in certain situations there,” Locke said. “It was great to get the feel from somebody who has been there a couple years and has had the same talk with previous specialists before him.”
The three still remain friends, and hang out together in the off-season.
“We talk a lot in the off-season, and we play golf together,” Mortell said. “They’re definitely good guys to have around and help me get better. It’s been cool to bounce some ideas off of them.”
But his new friends haven’t changed his mind about his feelings toward the Vikings.
“I’m a fan of the Vikings’ special teams. I like the guys they got,” Mortell said. “I like seeing them punt, that’s for sure.”
Locke said he tries to steer away from talking about Mortell’s love of the Packers.
“I try to keep that out of the conversation,” Locke said. “He doesn’t bring it up and rub it in my face but he’s pretty good about it. I see it more in his Snapchat story than anything else.”
Mortell was able to watch last season’s Packers-Vikings game in his hometown, and hopes to watch the same game at TCF Bank Stadium this year for the Vikings’ final season in his home stadium.
He also reached out to Locke for advice on his own last season.
“Peter came looking for advice and how to approach his final year, what to do,” Locke said. “It was kinda cool to be able to pass some stuff along that I went through going into my last year of college on to him.”
Mortell already has an undergraduate degree in his back pocket and is pursuing a master’s degree in applied kinesiology.
After school, he’s optimistic about his options.
“If there’s an opportunity to play at the next level, I definitely want to do my best to take advantage of that,” Mortell said. “If not, I would like to work in sports in some capacity, whether it be administration in collegiate athletics or somewhere in professional football.”
But he’d be glad to remain in the place he now calls home – the Twin Cities.
“Everyday I’m here, I like it a little bit more,” Mortell said. “It’s exceeded every expectation that I set. I’ve just had a blast so I hope I can stay here for a long time.”
