SAN JOSE | A few years ago, in his native Australia, Michael Dickson had no idea what the NFL was. Today, he has a place in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks and is recognized as one of the best punts in the league.
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Met during the Seahawks’ media session at their San Jose hotel on Wednesday, Dickson still seemed to pinch himself to realize how the whirlwind of life took him to an unexpected place and time, on the eve of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.
However, in 2015, American football was not part of the dreams he was trying to achieve.
For Dickson, it was Australian rules football that fueled him. The NFL has made inroads in Australia over the years, but not to the point of attracting the Sydney native.
“I didn’t know what it was, other than having seen American football in movies,” he told the Journal smiling.
Not on the radar
Dickson began playing Australian rules football at the age of 9. He quickly established himself as a good player, being awarded the Golden Boot for his kicking skills in his first year.
Although he did not reach the AFL, the biggest professional circuit in Australian football, he still had an excellent reputation, to the point where teammates recommended that he attend a camp for Prokick Australia, a program that attempts to identify potential talent for kicking positions in the United States.
“I never imagined the NFL was a possibility for me. Some guys I played with told me to try it. I had absolutely no expectations,” he said.
The big jump
His essay proved impactful to the point where the University of Texas Longhorns tendered him an offer. He joined the team from 2015 to 2017, finishing his career in style by being named Most Valuable Player in the Texas Bowl in his final career game. An extremely rare occurrence for a punt kicker.
“I was convinced that someone had played a joke on me. I was laughing and was about to go to the locker room when a guy told me it was serious and that I had to stay for my trophy presentation. I didn’t even think it was possible for a punter to get this title,” he said.
It was enough to catch the eye of the Seahawks, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft.
This season, he had the sixth-best average in the league with 49 yards per punt.
“This whole adventure happened so quickly! I am grateful and I don’t take what happens to me for granted. Sometimes I’m sitting in our team meetings and I see the logo on my jersey, and then I tell myself every time that it’s impossible for me to play in the NFL,” he noted.
Sometimes at the Super Bowl, the most improbable stories aren’t those of the big stars.
