By Angelica Medina
SANTA CLARA, California, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Michael Dickson delivered one of the best performances by a punter in Super Bowl history as Seattle beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday, with the Australian celebrating his championship win with dreams of “chips and chicken salt”.
The Sydney-born 30-year-old became the second Australian to win a Super Bowl, joining compatriot Jordan Mailata, who claimed a ring with the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
“I love my family, I love my friends, I love Australia,” Dickson told ESPN on the field. “I can’t wait to get home, get some chips with some chicken salt, I’m craving that, and a parmi (chicken parmigiana). That’d be nice.”
Dickson averaged nearly 48 yards on seven punts that kept the Patriots pinned deep in their own territory for most of the night at Levi’s Stadium.
Three of his punts were downed inside the Patriots’ six-yard line and only two were returned for a total of four yards.
His second-quarter punt forced New England to start from their own two-yard line, a crucial moment in the field position battle that helped Seattle control the game.
The punter, who signed a four-year extension last year making him the highest paid at his position in the NFL, said he always believed this moment would come.
“I have big dreams so I knew we were going to get here and I knew we were going to get it done and we did, so I’m very lucky and very happy,” he said.
“It’s nice to know that I can play in these type of games, and if you ever feel any nerves you just look at your guys next to you and everyone’s having fun and making plays, so I mean, it’s the best feeling.”
Dickson’s journey to NFL glory came after he was overlooked in the 2014 Australian Football League draft.
He moved to Melbourne to train at ProKick Academy, which helps Australian kickers transition to American football, before earning a scholarship to the University of Texas.
He won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top college punter and was drafted by Seattle in 2018, establishing himself as one of the league’s elite specialists.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina. Additional reporting Frank Pingue; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
