Australians in American football and rugby union have been linked to potential NFL careers. The punting specialist position requires similar skills to those used in Australian Rules football. Salaries are up to five times higher and the position lends itself to longevity: Australian football players generally retire at around 30, whereas American football punters can play well into their 40s (in fact, one of the players listed below, Darren Bennett, played 11 seasons in the NFL after leaving behind an Australian rules career when he was nearing 30). Initially Australians sought out American football careers, although now NFL scouts are more often actively seeking
Matt Williams (American football) Matt Williams (American football) Matt Williams (born in Weatherford, Texas) is a former walk-on place kicker for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. Williams was offered the position, two other players having failed to succeed for the team at that point, after winning a year's worth of free rent in a place-kicking contest at one of the Red Raiders games. Williams attended Weatherford High School in Weatherford, Texas, where he played soccer and football. In football, he played both wide receiver and kicker. His signature moment as a kicker occurred when he kicked a 49-yard field goal through the