When Havard Rugland first posted a four minute video of his football placekicking skills, I wonder if he expected to end up in the NFL. Now, after tryouts for several teams, that’s exactly where he’s going. The Norwegian kicker, whose ‘Kickalicious’ trick shot video went viral last year, has signed a contract with the Detroit Lions, where he will have a chance to earn a place as the team’s starting placekicker.
In the four minute ‘Kickalicious’ video, Rugland displays some legitimate football skills, such as the ability to kick a 60-yard field goal and the consistency to hit several times in a row from 50 yards out. He also shows off some useless but incredibly cool tricks, such as kicking between the uprights using the back of his heel and, in a remarkable finale, the ability to kick a ball out of the air using another kicked ball, trap shooting style
.The video earned Rugland a tryout with the New York Jets. While that did not lead to a contract, a later session with the Lions proved lucrative for the Scandinavian sensation. Lions fans have already given him a new nickname: Legatron, a take on the ‘Megatron’ nickname of the team’s star wide receiver, Calvin Johnson.
Rugland’s success could lead the way for online showmen to find their way in the professional sports world. Before long, this kid could find himself in the NBA. And if there’s not a place in the MLB for this dynamic wiffleballer, there’s simply no justice in the world.
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