Father’s Influence Good For UI

Jerry Kramer, one of the University of Idaho’s all-time football greats, didn’t force his son, Matt, to follow in his footsteps.

“But I’ve been influencing him all the way,” said Jerry, who went on to star with the Green Bay Packers. “I told him, “Do what you want to do, but look, the door at Idaho is open.”

Matt, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound tight end/defensive end from Parma (Idaho) High School, said his dad’s notso-subtle hints were a factor in his committing to UI, where his father was an All-American guard in 1957.

Today is the first day of the national letter-of-intent signing period and Matt said he will sign with UI. Boise High defensive lineman Nate Lundquist (6-3, 255) also committed to the Vandals. Previous commitments came from Post Falls quarterback Darick Pope and Gonzaga Prep linebacker Jeff James.

Matt received recruiting letters from Brown, Navy and SMU.It’s admittedly unfair to draw comparisons between the two, but Jerry sees potential in Matt.”I’ve got high hopes for him, but obviously I’m irrational as hell about him, too,” said Jerry, who runs a midwest-based telecommunications business from his home in Parma and does some public speaking.

“He’s been averaging about 16-20 points per game in basketball. I averaged about two. He threw the shot (put) 56 feet, I threw it 51. He throws the discus about 160, I was about 145. I think it’s just a matter of him being a late bloomer,” Matt said being the son of a star football player has been a plus, not a burden.

“I’ve got to go out and make my own name,” said Matt, who carries a 3.0 grade-point average. “I’m going to need a year or two to beef up so I can compete.”

Jerry can recall being grand marshal of Idaho’s homecoming parade in the mid 1980s with Matt riding alongside in the car and waving to the crowd.

“Every year we’ve tried to make it to a game, Boise State or whatever,” said Jerry, a Sandpoint High graduate. “Part of my logic was to get him familiar with everything in Moscow and part of it was that I wanted to go to a ball game. But the ultimate decision was his and I feel good about what he decided.”

xxxx