VERMILLION, S.D. - OCTOBER 16, 2001 - Filip Filipovic's trip from Belgrade, Yugoslavia to Vermillion, S.D., has included several stops but The University of South Dakota senior football player is glad he made the trip.

"This is the right place for me to be. I like it here," said Filipovic.

Being comfortable in a place wasn't always the way Filipovic felt about things, as the 23-year old wasn't sure where he wanted to be. After coming to America in 1997, Filipovic completed his high school education in Youngstown, Ohio, attended Urbana College in Ohio and Eastern Michigan before finding a home at The University of South Dakota.

There is no doubt that Filipovic is comfortable. He is enjoying success in the classroom, where he has a 3.5 grade point average in health, physical education and recreation, and he is one of the top punters in NCAA Division II who is attracting the interest of professional football scouts. It is a scenario that seemed very unlikely three years ago.

When he arrived in the U.S.A., the mild-mannered and soft-spoken Filipovic had little experience in American football. But once he tried the game he was hooked. Still, he had a long way to go to be the punter/kicker he is today. But if Filipovic is anything, he is focused and someone who listens and learns.

"Filip is a very, introspective, intelligent young man," said third-year South Dakota head football coach John Austin.

Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Filipovic moved with his parents, Dragan and Gordana Filipovic, to America in 1997. As a high school junior, he broke his foot in the first game as a member of Howland High School football team in Youngstown, Ohio. That injury didn't deter Filipovic, who came back as a senior and averaged 35 yards per punt while making seven of 13 field goals. Still, Filipovic was not heavily recruited, earning the interest of a few small schools around Youngstown, Ohio. He enrolled at Urbana (Ohio) College where he won the starting kicking duties. He wasn't comfortable or happy at Urbana and he decided to give up football and transfer to Eastern Michigan.

Then, whether it was fate or something else, Filipovic reconnected to the game he loves while finding a new home.

In Sept. 1998, Filip's parents moved to Vermillion, where his father, Dragan, got a job with the South Dakota Geological Survey. During a few trips to Vermillion to visit his parents, Filipovic became interested in USD, eventually opting to transfer to the midwestern school in 1998. In his fourth city in three years, Filipovic was ready to settle down. He had no plans to play football but in time that changed. As he listened time and time again to the stories of then Coyote football players, Steve Young and Eric Porisch, Filipovic started to feel an emptiness inside. The football stories made him realize how much he missed the game. "Those stories brought back memories and I found out that I missed football," said Filipovic.

In the spring of 1999, he decided to try out for the Coyotes as a walk on punter. "My thinking was that the Coyotes' punter had graduated and I felt I would be competitive with the others vying for the position," Filipovic said.

In conversations with Coach Austin, Filipovic was encouraged to try out for the punter's spot on the USD football team. "He (Austin) was very open and told me to show him what I could do. I didn't have anything to lose."

True, but the Coyotes had something to win - a punter who would prove in time that he was one of the best around.

Filipovic's grinding determination to succeed won out and he took over punting chores as a walk on sophomore. Later, he was awarded a scholarship by Coach Austin.

While he averaged 38.1 yards per punt (57 punts for 2,170 yards) as a sophomore, Filipovic wasn't comfortable and not happy with his performance. But, Filipovic is harder on himself than perhaps he should be. As a sophomore, he had one kick of 56 yards and he placed four kicks inside the 20-yard line. Coyote coaches named USD Special Teams MVP against Truman State, Augustana and St. Cloud State.

"It was important for me to get into the games, knowing I would get better," he said. The experience paid dividends but so did the advice of the Coyote coaching staff and contributions from Coyote swimming and diving head coach Ron Allen as well as former NFL punter Brian Hansen.

"I can't thank Coach Austin and his staff enough. They have tremendous confidence in my abilities -- that is important," he said. After his sophomore season, Filipovic began working Allen on psychological preparation for games. He also received invaluable advice from former NFL punter Brian Hansen, originally of Hawarden, Iowa, who kicked for 16 years in the NFL.

"They both helped me a lot," said Filipovic. "Coach Allen helped me improve my mental preparation for games. Brian Hansen was very helpful from a physical standpoint. He got me straight on the mechanics of punting," he said. "Those things have allowed me to get the physical and mental side of things in proper perspective. Then, it was up to me to practice and improve my skills."

By his junior season, the transplanted Yugoslavian had things in place and the results speak for themselves. That season, he averaged 40.7 yards per punt (2000), which placed him seventh nationally in NCAA Division II. He finished second in the NCC in punting and had a long of 62 yards. Filipovic placed 15 punts inside the 20-yard line and shared the team's Special Teams MVP with kicker Adam Hicks in 2000. He was named Special Teams player of the Week against Missouri Western, Truman State, North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha.

Filipovic holds the school record for most punts in a game (15) and most yardage in a game (616 yards) vs. North Dakota in week three of the 2000 season. On that windy day, he had 15 punts for 616 yards for a 41.1 average. He was named academic all-NCC and honorable mention all-NCC a year ago.

Still, punters don't want to be on the field a lot because if they are, the team is not enjoying success. Winning and doing so as a team is important to Filipovic. It is a perspective that Austin engrains into the psyche of his football team each and every day. "I have to do my job and when I do, it helps the team. We win together and we lose together," he said.

Now as a senior, Filipovic is continuing to excel. In 2001, he is averaging 39.3 yards a punt (39 punts for 1,531 yards), including kicks of 61 and a career-best 66 yards vs. Northern Colorado on Oct. 13. All three of his 60-yard plus kicks were placed inside the opposition's five-yard line. He has five kicks over 50 yards and has placed 11 punts inside the 20-yard line. Seven punts have been fair caught and four others have resulted in touchbacks.

While he has solid punting numbers, Coach Austin has relied on Filipovic in another kicking realm. Filipovic is serving as the Coyotes' place-kicker. A year ago, he had no idea that he would be replacing Adam Hicks, one of the Coyotes' all-time greats at kicker. But, Filipovic has approached this dual kicking in a positive and upbeat manner. He has not been intimidated by the responsibilities of handling both jobs. He has made 16 of 17 extra points and converted five of seven field goals.

With double responsibilities, Filipovic realizes that he has to take it, "one kick at a time." "I can't get too worked up over a missed field goal or a bad punt or get too emotionally high after making a long field goal or booming a long punt. It is important for me to be able to stay focused and move on after each kick," he said. "He has approached the double duty with a very serious vane and took it on as a challenge. He is such a fierce competitor that he has excelled in both punting and placekicking. I feel very comfortable with him kicking the ball," said Austin.

As for the rest of the season, Filipovic has set a high goal for he and his punt team teammates. "For us as a punt team, I hope we can lead the nation in net yards per punt. For me that is the only statistic that matters in terms of punting," he said.

As for other matters that lie before him - graduation - Filipovic hopes he gets a shot at punting at the professional level. If that doesn't work, he wants to teach and coach soccer or basketball. Whatever the vocation, it is likely that this focused college senior will excel by taking things one at a time.