Norwegian Kicker Scores NFL Tryout Thanks To Viral Video
While just about every NFL player hails from North America, the league has a long history of recruiting place kickers who come from all corners of globe; in fact the league's next big kicking star may come from Norway. But the big story about Havard Rugland's big left foot is how it got noticed by NFL talent evaluators.
Earlier this year the 27-year-old recorded a kicking video and put it on YouTube. It became a viral hit, garnering over one million views.
Most of his stunts -- which include accurately kicking footballs to receivers that are driving by in speeding cars -- don't really apply to the NFL. However the ability he displayed to effortlessly nail a 60-yard field goals certainly caught their eyes.
Because of the "Kickilious" video, Rugland was summoned to the United States to work with kicking coach Michael Husted. This week, he will have a tryout with the New York Jets.
'Havard has incredible talent as a kicker,' Husted explained.
If he does end up making the Jets or another NFL team, he actually wouldn't be the league's first Norwegian-born placekicker. Jan Stenerud played for 19 years, and is one of three kickers to be enshrined in the NFL's Hall of Fame. One can only imagine how popular Stenerud's trick shot YouTube video would have been if they had such things in the 60s, when he got his start.