Punter Dante Atton makes Temple history as first special-teams player to earn a single-digit jersey

Dante Atton knew it was time for a change when the 2024 Temple football season ended. The Melbourne, Australia, native joined the Owls before the 2023 campaign, but results were few and far between. He knew he wanted to stay at Temple, but he would have to come back better.

Help came in the form of Rick Brown.

Temple coach K.C. Keeler hired Brown as the Owls’ coach for punters, kickers, and long snappers. Atton wanted to fix his mechanics and add to his repertoire.

And fix his confidence in the process.

“Having someone there to say, ‘Hey, you did this when you had a bad kick. You didn’t drop the ball inside enough, outside enough.’ Having that person definitely helps,” Atton said. “Once he had been working with me for about three to five months, once we started getting consistent with my kicks and seeing the results … it was amazing.”

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Atton spent the offseason working meticulously on his craft, but he also caught Keeler’s eye off the field. The coach saw his punter cleaning up the field when everybody had left after each practice. Atton also spent his time trying to leave his mark in the weight room, which impressed the coaches.

“Post-practice, he’s out there cleaning up the field. That’s just the kind of kid he is,” Keeler said. “He’s a warrior in those workouts, and he’s not afraid to express himself.”

Atton averaged 41.7 yards on three punts in the opening victory against UMass.

The work Atton had put in showed the new staff that recognition was in order. That came in a single-digit jersey — one of the highest distinctions at Temple.

Every year, Temple selects single digits, players who display the mantra “Temple TUFF” day in and day out. Keeler decided to put his own spin on the tradition.

The former Sam Houston State coach set up a nomination system, in which players voted on who they thought was most deserving. Keeler then brought those names to staff members for a final evaluation.

Atton made the cut and became the first punter to don a single digit. Keeler told Atton before a team meeting, where his initial reaction reportedly drew a laugh from Keeler. Atton still was in shock when he called his mother. Despite the 14-hour time difference, she picked up.

“She started crying. She said, ‘Oh, you’re such a superstar,’ and all that stuff,” Atton said. “She’s just like, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ and she was crying because obviously she knew it had never been done before. I’m glad I could tell her that at 3 o’clock in the morning. She’s like half asleep. You can hear it in a voice. But she was happy. I was happy.”

The announcement came soon after Atton suffered the loss of a loved one in June, while summer workouts were in full swing. Unable to travel back home to Australia, he had grieve from Philly.

He funneled the feelings onto the field and leaned on supporters at Temple with his family on the other side of the world. Atton also learned to keep his personal and football life separate and leave his troubles at the door when he enters Edberg-Olson Hall.

“It’s one of those things that I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Atton said. “Given that I’ve been through a lot, you kind of learn to deal with adversity. You’ve got to learn to separate what’s going on outside this building to the football. You can’t bring your outside stuff into the building. I’m pretty good at that. I pride myself on being able to separate personal life from work life.

“It was more about just when I’m in here, I’m the same person that I always am. When I’m out there, whatever. But when I’m in here, it was the same level-headed guy that I always am.”

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Now, Atton is focused on helping Temple in its first season under Keeler. While many players put their names into the portal, Atton remained set on 10th and Diamond. He joined the program through Prokick Australia, so he didn’t have a true recruitment, but he felt committed to Temple.

When Keeler was hired, he welcomed everyone — and Atton returned the favor.

“Temple gave me my first chance to play football, and I didn’t want to leave,” Atton said. “I didn’t want the new coaching staff to come in and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to uproot your team,’ which they didn’t. They opened everyone with welcoming arms, which I’m grateful for.

“When they did that, I was even more bought in than I already was. I’m a Temple Owl, I want to be until I graduate. I don’t want to leave this place. And that’s the way it’s going to be.”