BleedGopher
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per Randy:
Growing up in Perth on Australia's southwest coast, Mark Crawford played both Australian Rules Football and cricket, two of his country's passions. His first exposure to American football came on Feb. 2, 2014, at age 20.
"Russell Wilson smashed the Denver Broncos, and I became a Seahawk moving forward,'' Crawford said of Seattle's 43-8 romp in Super Bowl XLVII. "… The way he went about it, it inspired me a little bit.''
Little did Crawford know at the time that he'd eventually embark on a football journey that would take him half a world away.
Crawford, an affable 28-year-old, is entering his third season as the Gophers starting punter as the opening week of training camp continues. He came on strong in 2021, averaging 41.7 yards on his 47 punts, placing 24 inside the opponent's 20-yard line and booming six 50 yards or more.
Crawford is part of a growing number of Australians who are excelling as punters in American football. He's an alum of Prokick Australia, a Melbourne-based program that started in 2007 and as of January had 190 players awarded football scholarships at various levels. Last year, 56 Prokick alums dotted the rosters of the 130 FBS programs. In the Big Ten, seven of the 14 schools have Prokick alums on their 2022 rosters.
"Ideally, we want the Big Ten Takeover, which is where we get all the punters in the Big Ten to be Australian,'' Crawford said. "But that's obviously a big ambition.'' Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers join the Gophers with Prokick punters on their rosters.
Crawford, immersed in the Gophers' rivalries, was quick to add, "I wouldn't want to give one to Wisconsin, though.''
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
Growing up in Perth on Australia's southwest coast, Mark Crawford played both Australian Rules Football and cricket, two of his country's passions. His first exposure to American football came on Feb. 2, 2014, at age 20.
"Russell Wilson smashed the Denver Broncos, and I became a Seahawk moving forward,'' Crawford said of Seattle's 43-8 romp in Super Bowl XLVII. "… The way he went about it, it inspired me a little bit.''
Little did Crawford know at the time that he'd eventually embark on a football journey that would take him half a world away.
Crawford, an affable 28-year-old, is entering his third season as the Gophers starting punter as the opening week of training camp continues. He came on strong in 2021, averaging 41.7 yards on his 47 punts, placing 24 inside the opponent's 20-yard line and booming six 50 yards or more.
Crawford is part of a growing number of Australians who are excelling as punters in American football. He's an alum of Prokick Australia, a Melbourne-based program that started in 2007 and as of January had 190 players awarded football scholarships at various levels. Last year, 56 Prokick alums dotted the rosters of the 130 FBS programs. In the Big Ten, seven of the 14 schools have Prokick alums on their 2022 rosters.
"Ideally, we want the Big Ten Takeover, which is where we get all the punters in the Big Ten to be Australian,'' Crawford said. "But that's obviously a big ambition.'' Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers join the Gophers with Prokick punters on their rosters.
Crawford, immersed in the Gophers' rivalries, was quick to add, "I wouldn't want to give one to Wisconsin, though.''
Gophers' 28-year-old punter Mark Crawford part of kicking invasion from Australia
Crawford, one of seven Aussie or New Zealand punters in the Big Ten, averaged 41.7 yards on his punts last season and 24 of his 47 went into an opponent's 20-yard line.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
