PULLMAN, Wash. — It's the question that comes to any football fan's mind the first time they see Washington State redshirt sophomore kicker Dean Janikowski kick.
"Oh, every single day. I even have it in my Twitter bio, just 'are you related to Sebastian Janikowski,' " said Janikowski when asked about how often he gets questioned on his relation to Sebastian Janikowski.
The answer is no, he's not related to former NFL kicker Sebastian Janikowski. It's a coincidence he's learned to have fun with.
"Even in high school I got a guy come up to me after the game. 'Oh, can I take a picture with you? Your dad's my hero," said Janikowski. "I thought it was funny. I took a picture with him and told him it was."
Janikowski has begun to build a name for himself as a kicker, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors as a redshirt freshman in 2021.
"It really gave me a confidence booster, just kind of rolling into spring, and even this season just knowing that I'm ready and I can keep pursuing and growing in my kicking abilities," said Janikowski.
Shortly after his breakout season, Janikowski would lose his biggest fan.
"My mom fought cancer for 10 years. It recently started from breast cancer, then it metastasized to her head and then it ultimately ended up taking her life last January," said Janikowski.
After Heather Janikowski passed away, the family decided to start The Heather Janikowski Foundation with annual events benefiting kids battling cancer, which sparked an idea for Dean.
"I thought, kicking, most people look away when they're kicking. No one really cares too much besides the game winner, so I thought I wanted to make a way just to make it more interesting as well as just doing a good thing," said Janikowski.
Dean started a Pledge It account with proceeds going towards The Heather Janikowski Foundation. Donors can choose flat donations or a certain amount per point Janikowski scores.
If you pledge $5 per point, that's $5 for a PAT or $15 per field goal.
"Now I got people who are donating and people who are watching the kicks now a lot more and so it's pretty cool to be able to step out there on a field goal knowing that this kicks worth $600 bucks, so it adds a little bit of pressure to me," said Janikowski. "It's also just cool because it's going to a good cause."
It's added pressure for an already stressful job.
"Yeah, so it's a little bit more pressure, but it's a good pressure and it excites me. That's why I celebrate so much after every field goal," said Janikowski with a laugh.
So, the next time you see Janikowski lineup a kick, just know it means a little extra.
"Yeah, it means a lot to me," said Janikowski. "I just want to make my mom proud and just kind of live through her legacy and kind of just help others."
If you'd like to donate to Janikowski's "More than a Kick" campaign, click here.
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