When the ASU football team entered the Pac-10 in 1978, it enjoyed the play of a freshman along the defensive line wearing No. 50.
Now, after 26 years of being in the conference, Sun Devil fans may be experiencing a case of déjà vu.
True freshman Kyle Caldwell, one of the most highly touted players to come to ASU in a number of years, is picking up where his father Bryan left off more than two decades ago - lining up at defensive end, wearing the No. 50 maroon-and-gold jersey and terrorizing opposing quarterbacks.
"Kyle and I have talked about this ever since he was a little boy," Bryan Caldwell said. "Deep down, if you cut me open, I bleed maroon and gold. I did have a deep-seeded thing there where I would have liked to see him in a Sun Devil uniform.
"I go out to practice once a week and sit by the fence and watch off in the distance. I see that No. 50 running around again, and it's really emotional."
After being named the Arizona High School Player of the Year in 2002 and touted as the 48th best player in the nation by SuperPrep Magazine after recording 30 sacks during his senior season at Scottsdale Saguaro, Caldwell had more than 50 scholarship offers from around the country to play football. Every team in both the Pac-10 and Big Ten came calling.
After taking a number of visits to other schools, Caldwell decided to stay in the Valley and go to the school where his father played football and his mother was a swimmer.
But maybe more important, attending ASU also meant staying close to where he grew up.
"It's a family thing," Caldwell said. "Me staying home means a lot to my dad, but also to a lot of people in the Valley, too. You don't always want the big-time recruits to leave. I know that, and I want to give back to the state. It's given me this name in a short period of time."
And while the recruiting process for one of the most highly coveted football players in the nation can be a tumultuous one - all local media attended the signing of his letter of intent - Caldwell's father said he felt it was actually his son's visits to other schools that made his mind up about ASU.
When Caldwell first arrived in Tempe, he instantly had the expectations of a top recruit and was the only true freshman being asked for interviews regularly. The coaching staff made it no secret he would play immediately.
"It was a lot of pressure being thrown out there, especially with guys who have served their time," Caldwell said. "I knew there were some high expectations, but I just brush it off my shoulder."
The transition from Saguaro to ASU didn't start off easy as Caldwell suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in his knee during Camp Tontozona. The injury kept him out of action for three weeks, including the season opener against NAU.
Caldwell then made his collegiate debut against Utah State on Sept. 13 despite not playing in any live scrimmages in the preseason.
Since then Caldwell has seen more playing time with each week. With the dismissal of sophomore defensive end Nick Johnson, who started at the beginning of the year, Caldwell's role has spiked even more.
During a 33-31 victory over North Carolina on Oct. 18, Caldwell got his first career sack. He then followed it up with a four-tackle performance against UCLA, which included his second sack in as many weeks.
"I missed camp and all the scrimmages," Caldwell said. "Now that I've had these games under my belt, each game is getting easier and easier. It's all coming together for me now. You can tell I just feel a lot more confident in my play on the field."
While Caldwell already has established an important role on the team, Koetter said his new defensive gem is just getting started.
"Kyle's upside is still way, way out in front of him," Koetter said. "He's a true freshman, and the guys he's going against are men, not boys. I don't think Kyle could do anything to meet what some people had expectation-wise for him. He's exceeded the expectations that I've had."
The expectations for Caldwell perhaps would not have been so great if the Sun Devils had not just lost possibly the best player in school history, defensive end Terrell Suggs, who left early for the NFL.
And while the need for a defensive end certainly increased with the departure of Suggs, who played at 245 pounds, the 265-pound Caldwell does not compare himself with the NCAA record-holder for sacks.
"[Suggs'] technique and his speed are way more advanced than mine," Caldwell said. "There is a big change in terms of me being able to do some of the things he did [in the pass rush]. At the same, I'm able to take on the run a little bit different than he did.
"I'm more power and strength, and he was more speed and finesse," he said.
Still, Caldwell said sacks are "what it's all about for a defensive lineman," and he hopes to end the year with six - one in each of ASU's last four games.
But while Caldwell has a knack for disrupting opposing offenses, he tries not to limit his talents to just playing football. To people who know him, Caldwell is as creative off the field as he is on it.
As an aspiring artist, Caldwell has had numerous works displayed in various galleries across Scottsdale. He especially enjoys working with sculptures and oil pastel paintings. In middle school, one of his works even won first place at the Arizona State Fair art show.
"Ever since I was a young kid, I've just been fascinated by art in general," Caldwell said. "It's definitely something that when I'm older, I'd like to open up some galleries and have some fun with that."
Another one of the many reasons Caldwell decided to attend ASU was for its architecture and graphic design programs.
But Caldwell's interests do not stop there. He also has been involved with various charities, including the Boys' and Girls' Clubs, and helping preserve desert wildlife. Caldwell also is an accomplished surfer - he has ridden the waves in Hawaii, Mexico and Northern California.
"Football players are known to some people as dumb jocks," Caldwell said. "It's neat to bring more than just athletic talent to the table. A lot more people should strive for that instead of just basing everything off their athletic talent to take them somewhere. They also have all these other tools to get through life."
While Caldwell appears to have a bright future in any number of endeavors, his current endeavor is carrying on his father's legacy on the gridiron for ASU.
While Caldwell mentioned he would love to have his own kids play at ASU some day, the next in the family lineage may be just a few years away as his 13-year-old brother, Dane, is making a name for himself in sports. Koetter already has coached him at camps and has a relationship with the youngster.
"[Dane] is really something when he plays football," Bryan Caldwell said. "If he wants to be a Sun Devil, I'm sure some day those coaches will want to look at him. When they think a kid has some potential, they're going to establish that relationship at a young age."
Of course, Bryan Caldwell is very familiar with the ASU landscape; he played in Tempe during a very definitive time in ASU football history.
In addition to his freshman season being the Sun Devils' first in the Pac-10, Bryan also played through the controversial firing of legendary coach Frank Kush, who headed up the program for 22 years. In 1982 he also started on ASU's defensive unit, which was ranked top in the nation and on the 1983 squad that went 10-2 and beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Bryan Caldwell hopes that with any luck, his son will be a part of another historic era in ASU football.
"[Seeing Kyle play has] sparked a lot of old feelings and brought back some old memories," he said. "It's really neat for me and everyone involved with it having another Caldwell out there playing."
Reach the reporter christopher.drexel@asu.edu.
