In the game of football, star players can emerge from many different positions on the field. Whether it’s the quarterback who averages 400 passing yards per game or the linebacker who delivers punishing hits, both offense and defense produce their own fan favorites.

All the while, one player waits on the sideline for his few seconds of glory. This player is the long snapper, whose job is to snap the football 7 1/2 yards to the holder on field goal tries or 15 yards to the punter on punts. This job is often overlooked by the casual fan, but a successful long snapper can make life easier for a team.

At Elon University, the long snapper role belongs to junior Michael Crispi. Crispi, the first scholarship long snapper in the storied history of Phoenix football, is lauded by his teammates and coaches as one of the best at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

“He’s by far one of the best snappers I’ve ever been around,” said freshman punter David Petroni. “He’s definitely probably the best at the FCS level. He makes it easy to get a good punt off.”

On the surface, fans simply see Petroni boot booming punts to pin opponents deep in their own territory, but his success begins with Crispi.

Snapper from the start

Crispi began playing football in eighth grade in his hometown of Dix Hills, N.Y. He served as a starting guard on that team, but a coaching decision and subsequent joke quickly changed his outlook on football, setting him up for the future.

“My coach jokingly said to me, ‘Oh, you know, long snapping, they give out scholarships for this if you get good at it.’ He was saying it jokingly at the time because he was making me be the long snapper,” Crispi said. “But I took that to heart and practiced ever since then because I always had the passion to try to play college football.”

He continued to hone his snapping skills at Half Hollow Hills High School West, with the idea that long snapping would be his ticket to a college football career down the road after high school.

In his three years as the starting long snapper for the Colts, Crispi never had an errant snap. His skills helped him earn the MSG Varsity Athlete of the Week honor during his senior year.

Recruiting trail

While his on-field performance was impressive, Crispi still had to market his abilities to college teams. For many specialists [kickers, punters and long snappers], that marketing involves attending special teams camps hosted by major universities.

During his sophomore year of high school, Crispi attended his first camp at Rutgers University. That day provided extra encouragement for Crispi and the idea that his ticket could be punched.

“They had about 35 snappers,” Crispi said. “I was one of the youngest ones there and I won the whole competition. That’s when I realized I had a natural talent for long snapping.”

Many major colleges had their eye on Crispi, but were only able to offer him preferred walk-on status. A preferred walk-on is often given admission to the school he selects to attend, but will have to pay tuition and compete for a spot on the team and, eventually, a scholarship.

One team was different.

“Elon University was a school that I came to camp with and I felt really comfortable with,” Crispi said. “It just seemed like a really good fit. I have family down here. When I came to the camp and snapped down here, [former head] coach [Pete] Lembo saw me snap and offered me a scholarship on the spot, and I was very thankful for that.”

A streak begins

When Crispi arrived at Elon, he had a clear path to the starting long snapper job from his first day on campus.

“I remember I walked in on the first day of training camp as a freshman, the previous long snapper had graduated,” he said. “Everyone was saying there were high expectations for me to come in and get the job done, being the first long snapper to be offered a scholarship in the program.”

Crispi started his first game Sept. 3, 2011, a televised game against Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

“The first game was against Vanderbilt and I’ll admit, I was really nervous,” Crispi said. That day marked the first of what is now 27 consecutive games started for Crispi, each one without a bad snap.

“To have Mike step in as a freshman and to excel at what he does from day one has been a real blessing for us,” said special teams coach Scott Browne. “We never once have to worry about a snap. He’s a true professional at what he does.”

Crispi said the secret to his success is to keep things in perspective and not to overlook things.

“I’ve had fun with it,” he said. “I’ve taken it week by week. I’ve never got too down on myself, never got too high on myself, just stayed even keel.”

Stepping up

During Crispi’s first two seasons with the Phoenix, former kicker Adam Shreiner and former punter Kenton Beal were the leaders of the specialists group.

“When I came in here I wasn’t a leader,” Crispi said. “I was like the wild child of the group. I didn’t see myself as a leader, Coach Browne didn’t see me as a leader.”

But, this year is different. Both starting kicker John Gallagher and Petroni are true freshmen, and Crispi has been forced to take a bigger role with the special teams unit.

“He’s really accepted the leadership role as a junior,” Browne said. “He’s definitely taken on a much more vocal leadership role with the two freshmen specialists that we have.”

Petroni said he believes Crispi leads by example.

“He’s started for the last two years so he really knew the routine,” Petroni said. “I came in and I didn’t really know what to expect. He showed me how practice works, how game day works.”

Looking to the future

Crispi has a year and a half left in his playing career at Elon. That final year will be played in the Colonial Athletic Association, which has member institutions near Crispi’s New York home.

“When I heard the CAA news, I was one of the happiest ones on the team,” he said, adding that Stony Brook University is only 30 minutes from his house.

Off the field, he will have an internship with CBS in New York, a big part of completing his degree in strategic communications.

Regardless of how his career turns out, Crispi said football has shaped his Elon experience.

“Playing football here is a platform to have a really good time,” he said. “It’s been a really good experience and there’s nothing like the bonds you make with your teammates off the field.”