From Bishop to the Big Time
Hunter Kampmoyer holding the Rose Bowl Game trophy. Photos via Hunter Kampmoyer’s Instagram account
January 17, 2020
Bishop Grads Road to the Rose Bowl
For Bishop Union High School graduate, Hunter Kampmoyer, the road to the Rose Bowl was paved by hard work. The 2016 BUHS student just finished up his junior season of eligibility at the University of Oregon. Kampmoyer played a significant role in the Duck’s offense and special teams as they defeated Wisconsin in this years Rose Bowl.
Hunter Kampmoyer starts at tight end for the University of Oregon wearing number 48. Prior to wearing the green and gold at Oregon, Kampmoyer was a standout for the Bishop Broncos. Kampmoyer committed to the University of Oregon in December of 2016 after having offers from many schools including Arizona State, UCLA, Boise State, San Diego State, Oregon State, and Utah State.
Kampmoyer has been playing football since he was 8 years old and he’s coming up on his 14th season. After redshirting his first-year Kampmoyer is now coming into his senior year playing for UO. I asked him if he was sad about leaving football and he said “Very sad, I love the game and I’m thankful for everything that it has done for me. I plan on enjoying it and making the most out of it.”
On top of being a D1 football player Kampmoyer is also majoring in Human Physiology. Kampmoyer said, “ It can be tough at times. The most important thing is to find a balance between the two. Football takes up a lot of my time so I always make sure that I’m taking time out of my day to dedicate to reading, study, or homework. It definitely takes some time management skills but that is something that I have developed over my time at the University of Oregon.”
Kampmoyer’s days are constantly busy with football and classes. A typical day for him is waking up at 6 am then breakfast/treatment at 6:30-7:30. Directly after breakfast Kampmoyer has meetings until 8:30 followed by 8:45-11 practice. He goes to class from 1-4 pm and has a few hours until he has meetings again from 6-7 followed by dinner around 7:15.
Most people from small towns don’t get to play college football let alone at a D1 level, almost everyone in Bishop knows who Kampmoyer is because of football. He says “It’s awesome. I’m proud to represent Bishop every time I step on that field. Growing up in Bishop has helped shaped who I am today and I take pride in that. I’m thankful for everyone that supports me from a distance in Bishop. It’s a good feeling knowing that I have so many supporters from there that really want to see me succeed.”
Kampmoyer has many people that have helped him throughout his football career. I asked him who he believes helped him the most and he responded with “I’ve had many people help me, it’s hard to pick out any individuals. My coaches throughout youth football and high school all taught me the game and made me fall in love with it. My family has always supported me with anything I needed regarding football and always cheered for me at my games. I’m extremely thankful for all of them because if it wasn’t for them, I may not be in the situation I am in now.”
The most memorable experiences in Kampmoyers football career at UO are “The first was my very first play of my career vs Southern Utah. It was the first play of the game and the season and we had a kickoff returner for a touchdown. I had a huge knockdown block that set the returner free for a touchdown. It was special to me because it felt like all of the hard work I had done up to that point had paid off. My second would be winning the PAC 12 championship and the Rose Bowl this last season with all my teammates. It’s like a brotherhood with that team and it was awesome to experience that with those guys.”
Kampmoyer grew up in Bishop and has always wanted to play football in college so he knew the moment he got the chance he was going to take it. He said “It was tough leaving my friends and family but I knew I wanted to play college football at the University of Oregon and knew once I got the opportunity that I was going to take it. It was pretty different at first being in college far away, but I got used to it pretty quickly.”
The Rose Bowl is one of the biggest games of the season and Kampmoyer got to experience playing in it first hand. Not only did he get to play in the Rose Bowl Game he and his took home a win from the game. Kampmoyer had two key receptions in the Duck’s opening drive. I had the chance to ask him what it was like to win and he said “It was one of the best experiences of my life. The team has worked really hard and has gone through a lot of changes and faced a lot of adversity. To win a rose bowl and PAC 12 Championship, after all, that was an amazing feeling. If it had changed me or taught me anything it would be to enjoy all the small things, good times and bad times, and to just stay patient and trust the process.”
Alongside everyone in Bishop, Kampmoyer believes his biggest supporters are his close friends and his family. He said “They are always rooting me on and supporting me in any way when it comes to football. I’m extremely thankful to have them.”
