- Mitch Wishnowsky is the San Francisco 49ers punter
- He grew up in Perth and previously worked as a glazier.
- Fighting to win the Super Bowl against Kansas City
- Super Bowl LVIII starts at 10:30am AEDT on Monday
Mitch Wishnowsky has come a long way since his days under the demanding Perth sun as a wet-behind-the-ears trader.
Now, the 31-year-old is just one game away from Super Bowl glory with the San Francisco 49ers in what has been a remarkable sporting journey.
After dropping out of high school at age 16, the now world-renowned punter began learning as a glazier.
At the time, Wishnowsky didn’t care about making $1,000 a week, but deep down he knew he wanted more in life.
Enter the Prokick Australia academy, which trains athletes who want to enter college football and potentially the NFL.
Mitch Wishnowsky is on the brink of sports history ahead of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Monday AEDT
Wishnowsky, 32, is a punter from San Francisco who grew up in Perth and wasn’t drafted into the NFL until 2019; He also recently signed a contract worth $19 million.
The Perth native (pictured playing for the 49ers when they beat the Packers in the playoffs this year) owes his start in the NFL to a chance encounter in a park in his hometown.
Come showtime against the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas on Monday from 10:30am AEDT, Wishnowsky will be looking to become the second Australian to earn a Super Bowl ring.
At 188cm and 100kg, the Australian is extraordinarily big and strong for a punter.
Scout Craig Wilson felt Wishnowsky, a promising AFL player who left the sport due to shoulder injuries, could be an NFL diamond in the rough.
He was right.
Wilson used his charm and convinced Wishnowsky to sell his house in Perth and move to Melbourne.
After understanding the basics, he soon entered the American college system at Santa Barbara City College in California and then the University of Utah, where Wishnowsky won the Ray Guy Award as the top college football bettor in his first season.
Next thing up, San Francisco selected Wishnowsky in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft, and the man with a huge right boot hasn’t looked out of place since.
At the time, many 49ers fans were angry that the team had taken Wishnowsky so high in the draft, but they soon changed their minds when he knocked Denver Broncos star Devontae Jackson to the ground with a massive tackle during a preseason game in August 2020.
Come showtime against the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas on Monday from 10:30am AEDT, Wishnowsky will be looking to become the second Australian to earn a Super Bowl ring.
Former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams is the other previous winner, but he was only a member of the team when his team won the coveted trophy in 2014.
Fellow Australian Arryn Siposs, who was the Philadelphia Eagles’ punter in the 2023 Super Bowl, has no doubt Wishnowsky will be able to rise to the occasion.
“He’s a pretty laid-back type of guy and he has a personality where nothing seems to faze him, he knows what he needs to do to get the job done,” Siposs said.
“He is a great person and I wish him nothing but the best.”