Christian Billiter has 55 catches for 842 yards and eight scores at Centre College but in his first collegiate track meet he won the long jump. (Chris Zollner Photo)
His friends were talking about how much they wanted to win the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) track championship and how Rhodes College seemed to always find new team members to provide needed points to win the title.
“I used to jump in high school and thought maybe I could help get points. I am coming back for a fifth year for football. I just thought I would give it a shot and maybe it would help me with football next year too,” said Centre College senior Christian Billiter of Pikeville.
It certainly started well for Billiter, an honorable mention all-conference receiver in football. In his first meet (the Steemer Indoor Showcase in Springfield, Ohio), he won the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 7 inches.
“I didn’t get that much practice before we went to the meet. I jumped about 22 (feet) in high school and thought if I could make the finals anything was possible,” Billiter said. “I scratched my last jump of the first round and the first jump in the finals but on my second jump I finally hit 22-7.”
Billiter also ran the sprints and relays in high school but knew he was not fast enough to run for the Colonels. However, he believes he could possibly make nationals in the long jump and earn points for Centre. He believes he can 23 feet, maybe 24 and even challenge the school long jump record of Chrys Jones, a four-time national champion.
“I hold myself to high standards and believe I can do it,” Billiter said.
The 6-0, 190-pound Billiter had 22 catches for 272 yards and three scores last season for the Centre football team after making 17 receptions for 232 yards and two scores in 2021. In 32 career games, Billiter has 55 catches for 842 yards and eight scores, including the game-winning touchdown catch his freshman year in a homecoming win over Sewanee. He’s also been a valuable kickoff return specialist averaging 27 yards per return.
He’s done all that in football — along with what he’s doing in track now — despite having a sports hernia since his sophomore football season.
“You just have to push through it. When my team needs me, I will do anything. Even if I have pain, I can fight through it,” he said. “It has been hard to run in full gear. I have to wear almost like a diaper with the way it’s wrapped around me. My teammates know how much pain I am in at times and that I just want to help my team win.”
Winning is what he’s always done. He also played basketball and baseball growing up. Pikeville won a state football championship his freshman year and lost in the title game his senior season when he caught 24 passes for 646 yards and eight scores.
He originally planned to walk on the University of Louisville football team before former Pikeville standout Cody Estepp, an all-conference receiver at Centre College, told him Centre would be the best spot for him. He visited campus and liked what he saw.
“Cody was successful at entry. He’s a smart guy and about to be a doctor. If it worked for him, I thought why not me,” Billiter said.
He wasn’t sure whether he would play receiver or cornerback at Centre and briefly thought about doing both his freshman year before he realized it was too “stressful” to try and learn both the offensive and defensive playbooks and also do his academic work.
Centre went 6-4 during the 2022 football season but Billiter is confident the 2023 season will be better.
“We have a young freshman quarterback in Jack Gohmann who can really sling the ball, Our receiver room is so deep. We have some really good running backs. Hopefully we can be unstoppable and I feel like our offense will really explode next season,” he said.
“I really want to help us win a (conference) championship and I think we can do that.”
Billiter plans to go into medical device sales or real estate after he leaves Centre. That might be after the 2023 football season or it might be just over a year from now.
“Depending on how this track season goes I might stay until spring next year and do track again,” he said. “(Football) Coach (Andy) Frye tells us to make the most of our senior year and experience. That’s what I am doing and I may actually do it twice.”
