KUGLERHAS FOUND HIS HOME
By Matthew Staudt
Note: This feature ran in the football game day program on Oct. 11 for Purdue's game against Michigan State.
Robert Kugler doesn't really have a hometown. That's what happens when you're the son of high school, college and National Football League coach.
Purdue's junior center has lived just about everywhere. He was born in Tampa, Fla., where his dad, Sean, was a high school football coach. At five months old, Robert and the Kuglers moved to El Paso, Texas, where Sean became an assistant coach at the University of Texas-El Paso. They stayed there for eight years until Robert's dad was named the assistant offensive line coach for the Detroit Lions.
After five years in Detroit, Sean decided to get back into college football and moved to Boise, Idaho, where he was an assistant coach for the Fiesta Bowl Champion Boise State Broncos. That lasted just one year, though, and soon the Kuglers were on their way to Buffalo for a stint with the Bills, just in time for Robert to start high school.
Robert attended Orchard Park High School in Buffalo and was a tight end on the football team. He helped his team to a 31-3 record, including a Class AA State Championship, during his first three years. But, as is the norm in the coaching world, Sean got another new job, and the Kuglers were on the move again.
This time, Sean got a job as the offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That meant that Robert's senior year would be played at a new school, North Allegheny High School. The move didn't hurt his playing career, though, as he was named the 2010 PIAA Class AAAA Pennsylvania Player of the Year as a tight end and defensive end.
"Growing up was pretty crazy," Robert says. "It made me a lot better at meeting people because I was really shy when I was younger. Every time we moved, it was the same thing - packing up our stuff and going to new schools to meet new people."
Despite his dad's extensive knowledge of the offensive line, Robert was a tight end because he "wasn't big enough," to be an interior lineman, according to Sean.
"I always thought I was going to play offensive line when I was younger," Robert says. "But, coming into ninth grade, I was only 6-foot, 180 pounds, and my dad told me I wasn't going to be big enough. So, I switched to tight end."
Robert excelled as a high school player, earning a four-star ranking by Scout.com as the nation's No. 9 tight end prospect. He received scholarship offers from across the country, including Buffalo and Boise State where he had lived, as well as from traditional powers like Stanford. In the end, though, Purdue was the perfect fit, so he packed his bags for West Lafayette, Ind.
After redshirting as a freshman tight end for the Boilermakers in 2011, Robert was back on the move. Not to a new city this time, though. While his family was on its way back to El Paso, where Sean was named the head coach at UTEP, Robert was switching from tight end to center, where he would begin laying the foundation for Purdue's offensive line for the next few years.
"I called my dad right away, and he was excited for me," Robert says. "We both realized it was a better situation for me with the tight end depth that Purdue had at that time. Center was definitely a better fit for me, and it seems like it is working out."
Robert likely has made his final move, at least while at Purdue. He has started 25 straight games at center for the Boilermakers heading into today's game. He was named the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player last season as a sophomore, anchoring the offensive line. This season, Robert has battled through injuries to bring a group of young linemen together to pave the way for Purdue's talented running backs to rush for 1,020 yards and 10 touchdowns, while twice holding the opposition without a sack.
With Robert's success at center, aided by his dad's offensive line coaching experience, Purdue's line looks to be set for the foreseeable future. It seems that Robert has finally found a place to call home.
Family Affair
Robert's brother, Patrick, is a redshirt freshman backup center at the University of Michigan. Robert, Patrick and Sean watch as many of each other's games as possible, often on recording, and make sure to contact one another after each game. All three try to spend their bye weeks going to each other's games, with Sean attending Purdue's game against Southern Illinois on Sept. 20. Robert visited Patrick last year and attended the Wolverines' game against Minnesota. He also plans to visit his younger brother during Purdue's second open week this season, though the Wolverines also are off that day. The three like to help each other and talk strategy and technique, while not "over-coaching" other coaches.