Steven Hauschka, Super Bowl Champion. Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game against the Patriots, that statement will still apply since Hauschka was part of the Seattle Seahawks’ dismantling of the Denver Broncos last year. But how did the kicker for the Seahawks become the kicker for the Seahawks?
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A little Wikipedia type digging reveals that Steven Hausckha’s road to Super Bowl success was different. The high school lacrosse and soccer star and band nerd did not suddenly believe that he was going to be a professional football player. He went to Division III Middlebury College to continue playing soccer.
In 2003, Haushcka was demoted from the varsity soccer squad at Middlebury to the junior varsity. So Hausckha was encouraged to make the jump over to the Middlebury football team. The change seemed to agree with Hauschka who went on to become Middlebury’s all-time field goal scorer in the next three years.
Getting cut from the varsity soccer team was the gift that kept on giving as Hauschka had an extra year of eligibility to use. He explored Division 1 options and ended up as a graduate student at NC State University. The story that had started in Needham, Massachusetts and had gotten a BA Neuroscience with Honors from Middlebury was now headed to Raleigh, NC.
In his year as State’s kicker (2007), he was almost perfect. He was sixteen for eighteen on field goals and never missed an extra point. He parlayed this experience into an NFL contract after going undrafted.
Hauschka did not stick in the NFL right away. In 2008, he was unable to unseat veteran Ryan Longwell in Minnesota. The Ravens brought him on board to share the kicking load with veteran Matt Stover. Hausckha’s leg was relied on for kick-offs and longer field goals, but he could not stick in Baltimore either.
12th Man Rising
Injuries influenced Hauschka’s next stops in the League. He got on with the Falcons in 2009 after Matt Bryant had a late season injury. The Lions brought him in for 2010 preseason when veteran Jason Hanson was hurt. Hanson’s return led to Hauschka’s release. After a short stint in the UFL, Hauschka returned to the League with the Denver Broncos to replace an injured Matt Prater.
Hauschka was without a home again in 2011 when he was claimed by the Seahawks. From there, Hauschka stuck in Seattle. He delivered some good kicking performances that kept him in the job even after suffering an injury of his own in 2013. Now he has a Super Bowl ring and is looking to collect another on Sunday.
Hauschka’s tale is one of taking opportunities and not giving up. Cut by six teams, he found the one that was smart enough to keep him. The former soccer enthusiast found a career by taking a shot at something else. He may not be the most famous Seahawk or Wolfpack guy on the field, but he knows every bit what it takes to get there.