Bidwell gets his kicks with first Pro Bowl berth.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Troy Polamalu and Josh Bidwell never played football together at Douglas High School.

"But I think Troy could have played because he was in seventh grade when Josh was a senior and I think we could have brought him up that year," said Rick Taylor, who coached the Trojans when Bidwell played at the school.

Bidwell and Polamalu have never faced off in the NFL either, but that figures to change next season when Tampa Bay is scheduled to play Pittsburgh.

"It's probably good timing for me because Troy isn't on special teams anymore," said Bidwell, a punter for the Buccaneers.

It turns out that the two won't have to wait until next season to be on the football field together for the first time because both Bidwell and Polamalu were named to the Pro Bowl this season.

Bidwell will be the punter for the NFC, and Polamalu will play safety for the AFC in Honolulu on Feb. 12.

Bidwell is scheduled to fly to Hawaii on Monday, but Polamalu will arrive later because he is playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

"Troy is a little busy, but I sent him an e-mail to congratulate him and told him I was looking forward to seeing him," Bidwell said. "I am pumped up to get over there and get a picture of the two Douglas grads."

Polamalu is making his second trip to the Pro Bowl, while Bidwell is capping off a big year both personally and professionally by making his first trip to the game.

"It's all such a whirlwind," Bidwell said. "The season went great as I expected. I planned on playing well and was comfortable with the team and what the coaches asked of me. When I finally got the call, I felt relieved. It has been a goal of mine from day one. It is somewhat of a culmination of my career at this point. You'd like to go to the Super Bowl, but so many factors go into that. Personally, this is the No. 1 goal you could have."

Bidwell will make the trip with his wife, Bethany, and their son, Brady John, who was born on Dec. 28.

Bidwell's Pro Bowl selection was not a surprise to Taylor, who watched as Bidwell sent practically every kickoff out of the end zone and averaged 45.6 yards per punt during his senior season in 1993.

"Josh was a tremendous athlete and we knew his future was going to be in kicking," Taylor said. "His averages his junior and senior year were college-type averages. We're talking amazing. He had a tremendous leg, so we knew that would be a future for him."

Bidwell also played quarterback and safety at Douglas and was not so sure that special teams was where he wanted to play.

"Rick had to sit me down and knock some sense into me," Bidwell said. "I was convinced I wanted to be a quarterback. The whole kicker stigma, I didn't want that. Fortunately, my only big-school offer was at Oregon, and it was to compete for the kicking and punting job so obviously I would have been stupid not to take that."

The Oregon coaches tried him at wide receiver, tight end and fullback early in his career, but when Matt Belden was injured, Bidwell took over the punting job as a freshman. He ranked third in school history with a 40.8 average when he was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Bidwell also had a memorable moment as a kicker in his first college game when he drilled a 42-yard field goal in a 27-20 victory over Utah during the 1995 season.

"My first-ever field goal," Bidwell recalled. "I never made one in high school. I was a good PAT guy, but when I tried to do field goals I missed them. I only tried about 10, but I did not make any of them. Coach (Mike) Bellotti joked afterward that if he had known that, he would have gone for it on fourth down."

Still, Bidwell earned second-team all-state honors as a kicker to go along with third-team all-state honors as a punter at Douglas. He was also a first-team all-Far West League quarterback as a junior when he led Douglas to the state quarterfinals.

"He was a tremendous option quarterback," Taylor said. "He was a great leader and we let him do a lot of audibles. I remember when he audibled six plays in a row once and they were all quick passes that were open, and he hit every one of them for positive plays. He was a very intelligent kid."

Bidwell laughed when reminded of his audible calls.

"I would audible, but I'd usually just do it because I thought it was cool to audible," he said. "I'm pointing out guys and I have no idea what the defense is doing."

Bidwell has played six seasons in the NFL, and he led the NFC in punting this season with a 45.6-yard average.

He still looks back fondly on those days at Douglas as he prepares to play in his first Pro Bowl and face off against an old friend from the neighborhood.

"I have to relive those days at quarterback now that I am just a punter," Bidwell said. "I remember that more now than ever."

CAPTION(S):

Troy Polamalu is remembered by Douglas coaches Joe Polamalu (top photo, left) and Rick Taylor as dominant on offense and defense for the Trojans. Polamalu got tremendous support from his family, including his aunt Shelley (bottom photo).