Detroit Lions Sign Havard Rugland AKA “Kickalicious”
By Mike Dyce
Dec 9, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson (4) kicks a field goal during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Lions lost veteran kicker Jason Hanson to retirement this offseason, ending a 21 year career. And now the Lions are left to find a kicker for the first time in a long time. They already signed David Akers, who was a less than reliable option for the San Francisco 49ers. Akers completed 69% (29 of 42) of his field goals last season.
It is worth noting that kicking for the Lions brings some benefits, like being indoors and out of the elements and not having to deal with wind.
But nevertheless he’ll be competing for the job of kicker in Lions camp with Havard Rugland, a Norwegian man known as ‘Kickalicious.’ Rugland is best known for his YouTube trick kicking video which has over 3 million views and can be seen below.
Michael Husted has been training Rugland and thinks he can succeed in the NFL despite having never played competitive American football.
“Havard has incredible talent as a kicker,” Husted told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in December. “He has a cannon for a leg. As he continues to refine his technique, he could be one of the strongest kickers in the NFL.”
A knock on these trick videos is that while it makes a person look extremely talented at what they do, you don’t see how many takes were needed to accomplish the feat. When it comes down to it, the person could be incredibly untalented who just got lucky a few times after many tries.
Despite that you can clearly see in the video he has the leg strength needed. But can he do it under pressure? We’ll find out.