Dean Janikowski: Facts To Know About WSU Kicker

Dean Janikowski: Facts To Know About WSU Kicker

Dean Janikowski is a freshman kicker at Washington State who was born to Dan and Heather Janikowski.

Janikowski was born into a family of five, including two siblings, one sister, and one brother. And he’s the oldest of the bunch. From a young age, his parents instilled in him a strong sense of leadership, which served him well throughout his professional career and contributed to his leadership mentality.

His close-knit family was originally from the California community of Fallbrook. His family makes a living through farming and animal husbandry, which is in his blood. As a result, Dean was tasked with caring after nine piglets and steers when he was a small youngster.

On Sunday, November 20, 2022, the 24-year-old young football kicker hit a 23-yard field goal against the Arizona Wildcats in NCAA football. As a result, his side, the Washington State Cougars, won 20-31, their third win in a row.

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1. Dean Janikowski Parents Dan and Heather Janikowski Are From Fallbrook, California

Dean Janikowski was born to his parents, Dan Janikowski and Heather Janikowski.

With his parents, he experienced a secure and supportive upbringing. Dean grew up in Fallbrook, California, to a middle-class family. He was born into a Catholic family, and his religious upbringing has influenced how he conducts his life tremendously.

Because his football kicker’s father, Dan, owns a cattle ranch, the football kicker spent most of his childhood working to raise cattle and other animals.

And all of his parents’ instruction was beneficial to him on the field. His parents, Dan and Heather, instilled in him a sense of leadership. On the field, his teammates and coaches have told him that he is extremely coachable and respected.

Janikowski posted photos of himself and his parents on Instagram on the day of his high school graduation in June 2019. He posted two photos, one before entering college and one after graduation.

Dean has also assisted his family by raising pigs and steers since he was a toddler. He stated that having responsibility for animals has provided him with a plethora of understanding and passion.

2. Dean Janikowski’s Mother Heather Survived Cancer

Dean Janikowski’s mother, Heather, defeated cancer twice in her life, for which he is grateful to God.

“I appreciate God for bringing her here to be with us.” He stated. She had to go through therapy several times, but despite her best efforts, the sickness proved too much for her to overcome, and she died on January 19, 2022.

Dean had a decent, if not perfect, life until his mother was stricken with cancer in 2012. Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2012, and doctors predicted she would only live for a few months.

She received chemotherapy first, followed by a double mastectomy. The doctors were certain that they had removed everything, and her mother was declared to be in remission in 2013 after a great degree of healing.

Heather was in remission until 2018, when she began getting severe headaches, indicating that her breast cancer had migrated to other parts of her body, including her brain.

She was, nevertheless, still able to receive disease treatment. After undergoing radiation treatment to her brain and immunotherapy, she successfully overcame cancer for the second time and entered into remission in 2019. Unfortunately, it was identified again in her lung and brain in the year 2020.

Unfortunately, his mother died on January 19, 2022, despite having won two battles with cancer.

3. Dean Janikowski Has Two Siblings, A Brother And A Sister

Janikowski, a WSU placekicker, has two siblings. Jack is his brother, while Megan is his sister.

Dean is the oldest of the three because he was the first to be born to their parents, Dan and Heather. In California, they all grew up playing together. Dean and his sister Megan want to be athletes when they grow up. Western New Mexico University is where she plays collegiate soccer.

Janikowski transferred from Eastern New Mexico University, where she appeared in all 18 games during the fall season of 2021.

His siblings, like him, attended Cathedral Catholic High School. Megan, a Fallbrook, California native, received her diploma and a jump start on her soccer career.

She is a defender who is 5 feet 10 inches tall. She was named to the All-League team for 2018-2020 and was vital in her team winning the CIF title in 2020.

After being named to the ENMU honour roll in 2020, his sister was named to the Dean’s list at ENMU in 2021. She was a member of the Del Mar Sharks, an ECNL club team.

4. Dean Janikowski founded “Heather Janikowski Foundation” In Honor Of His Beloved Mother

Dean Janikowski and his family established the “Heather Janikowski Foundation” in memory of his late mother.

Heather, his mother, had beaten cancer twice before and didn’t have much fight left in her when she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time. By then, it had spread to most of her internal organs, lungs, and brain.

Heather, a fighter, lost her battle with cancer in January 2012, after many ups and downs. Dean and his family decided to start a foundation to raise money for cancer treatment after she died.

The Heather Janikowski Foundation is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to funding programmes that promote healthy lifestyles for children and their families. Furthermore, these programmes should model and develop partnerships that help all children attain their full potential.

The WSU kicker hoped to raise $25,000 to help donate to the treatment of children with cancer. The foundation has currently raised $12,201 through Pledge It.

5. Dean Janikowski Is Not Related To Sebastian Janikowski

Dean Janikowski is not related to Sebastian Janikowski, a former Polish football kicker.

The only thing the two athletes have in common is that they share similar surnames. However, when Cougfan.com asked Dean the same question in 2018, he said, “To be honest, I have no idea.”

Another topic that has football fans scratching their heads is whether he is related to Sebastian Janikowski, the excellent kicker for the Oakland Raiders.

Sebastian is originally from Poland, although his father immigrated to the United States shortly after his birth. However, the link that connects him to the WSU sophomore is unknown. As a result, they are unrelated.

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Early Years

Sebastian Janikowski was born on March 2, 1978, in Wabrzych, Poland, as the only child of Henryk and Halina Janikowski. His father was a professional soccer player who relocated to the United States in the early 1980s to resurrect his career. Janikowski’s parents split years after his father immigrated from Poland, and Henryk married an American citizen.

Janikowski began to flourish at soccer after being left at home with only his mother, and at the age of 15, he gained a berth on the Polish under-17 team.

Janikowski was able to lawfully immigrate to the United States due to his father’s marriage to an American. He knew very little English, but he picked it up quickly by enrolling in a three-week night class and watching television. Janikowski appeared in only five games with the Orangewood Christian soccer team, but he led them to the Class A State Championship game by scoring 15 goals, which they lost on penalty kicks to Lakeland Christian (3–2).

Janikowski joined the Orlando Lions, an under-19 soccer club coached by Angelo Rossi, while residing in Orlando, Florida with his father and stepmother. Rossi was also the soccer coach at Daytona Beach’s Seabreeze High School, and he persuaded Henryk that his son would be better off there. Henryk agreed but refused to relocate, so Janikowski moved in with Rossi’s family.

Janikowski played both soccer and football during his senior year at Seabreeze after being recruited by the school’s football coach. He rapidly established himself as the team’s placekicker, kicking four field goals of 50 yards or more. One of them was for 60 yards, which was the third-longest in Florida high school history. He kicked an 82-yard field goal during a practise at Seabreeze High.

Janikowski was named to USA Today’s 1996 All-American team. Janikowski chose Florida State University after being aggressively recruited by several top collegiate football organisations.

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College life

Janikowski attended Florida State University and played football under coach Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles. “Boy, have you ever thought about (I have!) how many national championships we may have won if we had Janikowski every year of my career?” Bowden later stated. He had a career scoring total of 324 points in three seasons (3rd all-time for the school).

For the second year in a consecutive, he received the Lou Groza Award, which is given yearly to the nation’s top collegiate kicker. Janikowski is the only player to have won this honour two years in a row. He gained popularity among fans for his ability to placekick a kick-off past the endzone uprights, which he did so frequently that the stadium monitors displayed field goal graphics even though it was a kick-off and not a field goal attempt.

While at FSU, Janikowski was nicknamed “Seabass.” Because the name Sebastian was too long for him, wide receiver Peter Warrick began calling him Seabass.

Career Stats

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