DUDES ROCK: Guy Goes Viral For Pulling Off Wild Onside Kicks All Over His House, Some NFL Team Needs To Sign Him ASAP!
I'll be honest, the crux of this blog was gonna be a pretty simple & straightforward vibe. Guy pulls off sick kicks all around his house and the internet watches in awe... Embed a few of his TikToks... Call it a day.
But then I started to research who he was and what he's all about and I came away even more impressed. This dude isn't trying to go viral, he's just trying to stay alive.
What a world indeed.
Adam Lenon or chainsaw lenon was a kindergartener when he became obsessed with the craft of kicking a football. Since then he's mastered the art of onside kicks. Onside kicking also saved his life. Adam suffers from depression and onside kicking makes him feel like he has something special and to offer the world. I'd say he defiantly has something special and is an master at the art of onside kicks.
Turns out this fleet-footed wizard uses these trick shot kicks to stay grounded and keep his mind clear. And he's not just some internet amateur, he actually had enough real skill to walk on at UNLV back in the 90s. Although the demons in Vegas won that battle to end his official dream, what he's done since is arguably more impressive.
And certainly more inspiring.
(Nevada Sportsnet) - But his kicking didn’t end there. He eventually became a trick-shot artist specializing on onside kicks. The Reno resident has become a mentor for kickers ranging from elementary school kids to NFL players. Many of his kicks have gone viral. He’s well known enough his twin brother, Andy, lists his name as “SportsCenter” in his phone contacts. By Lenon’s count, his kicks have been on SportsCenter eight times.
But Lenon doesn’t perform trick kicks for the fame. He doesn’t do it to go viral. He does it to stay alive. Lenon has been suicidal three times, the most recent occurrence happening only two years ago. Lenon admits he wouldn’t be alive without kicking.
“Honestly, I don’t think I would be,” the 43-year-old said. Lenon has rarely felt “normal” except when kicking a football.
“I’ve never really talked to a complete stranger about this before, but I think it’s something that needs to be known because so many people go through it,” Lenon confided. “There would be times I’d get off of work – I work for a surveying and engineering company – and I have good days and bad days, and I have a super supportive wife who gets me through the issues I have. The last two months I’ve been totally solid; I’ve had great days. But there were days I’d get off work and I’d have a crap day and not be feeling like myself and I’d kick footballs and tell myself, ‘If I don’t make this kick, when my wife goes to work, maybe I’ll just commit suicide.’ It got to that point where it was so ugly and so bad. But it’s not like that anymore. I’ve always had great support with my wife and my identical twin. They’ve been great.”
Lenon has been diagnosed with major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He doesn’t believe he has bi-polar disorder because he never gets that euphoric high. But the lows are deep, to the point he tells himself he can’t live like this anymore and turns toward suicidal thoughts.
“I was suicidal three times throughout the course of my life and the last time I was suicidal my twin brother and my wife got me help and checked me into this program, and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Lenon said. “Kicking is like a total release to me. It’s so hard to explain, but it’s something I have to go out and I have to do it, as odd as that sounds. Kicking has always been this outlet for me. I always knew I had a really good touch with the ball. Growing up with all of these mental health issues, I knew I had to go outside and burn all of this energy. It’s kind of an artist’s mentality. You picture something in your head and you have to put it on paper. I’ll picture something in my head and if I don’t go out and do it, it will drive me insane. Like an artist has to put pen to paper, I have to do what I have to do. It’s just a strange thing. Kicking has really been my saving grace, especially the last year to 2 years.”
Heavy stuff. But it's pretty cool to see what having a true love of the game can do for the soul. And for the kicks too… Look at these fucking skills brother!
FUCK Dude Perfect, this guy is the real deal. And it isn't all sunshine & rainbows making these videos either, he's putting his body on the line every single kick.
The Greg Jennings of onside trick shots if you will.
WARNING:LIFE CAN CHAINGE IN A SPLIT SECOND AS IT DID FOR ME ON JAN10. I SUFFERED A COMPLETE PATELLAR TENDON RUPTURE. PRETTY PAINFUL. I WILL DOCUMENT MY COMBEACK TO THE FIELD. ITS #COMEBACKSZN #TOTHEMOON
He did get to fulfill his dream of being a pro kicker too, even though the 2020 pandemic absolutely fucked it up.
“The stuff I do now I used to try 3 years ago and it felt impossible and I didn’t think it would work,” Lenon said. “Now the stuff I thought was impossible are really easy. I’m interested in what my mind and brain will come up with next.”
While he washed out of UNLV, Lenon did become a professional kicker last year. He tried out for the Reno Express, an indoor football team in the American West Football Conference. Despite suffering a knee injury before tryouts, he made the team and in his first contest pulled off something he had been working his entire life on.
“I did pretty good my first game but the highlight, and it was probably the highlight of my life, is I got an onside kick that game,” Lenon said. “It was awesome. It was so cool to be 42 years old and be known for your onside talent and that was the one thing I wanted, and I did it.” The Express shut down for this season, and it’s likely Lenon’s pro career is over, but he’ll continue doing trick kicks. After all, they helped save his life.
“It’s cool because it brings out that creative drive I have,” Lenon said. “I just think about, ‘What can I do with a football today?’”
Absolute BARS to close out that article. Truly words to live by, and keep living by…
"What can I do with a football today?"
Dudes ROCK. And if I'm a NFL GM, I'm giving Adam a call ASAP. With how much these kickoff rules are changing and how impossible it's become to pull off an onside kick, he's gotta have some much needed knowledge to share.
Maybe could help with crafting the perfect "Dirty Kick" too? Seems like the Rams & Panthers are the only team nailing those so far this season.
Either way, never stop never stoppin' Adam. Keep kicking until the cows come home! The internet needs you pal, thanks for sharing such an incredible gift with us. Cheers mate.