Former Australian-rules football player and current NFL Arizona Cardinals punter Ben Graham will take advantage of NFL lockout playing for the Australian Senior National team at the IFAF Senior World Championship in Austria July 8-16.
The 45-man Australian Senior National team is led by head coach John Leijten and will compete in Group A facing the United States, Germany and Mexico. The top two teams from each group will advance.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is play,” said Graham. “And now I get to represent Australia in an international competition. This is an opportunity that I never dreamed would be possible.”
Graham began his football career with the Geelong Football Club where he played in 219 games from 1993-2004. And in 2005, he shocked the world signing with the New York Jets becoming the second oldest player to debut in the NFL at the age of 31.
After three seasons with the Jets, he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 and became the first Australian to ever appear in the Super Bowl handling the punting duties for the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. That season, in 2009, Graham also tied the NFL single season record with 42 punts landed inside the 20-yard line and established a franchise record by averaging 47 yards per punt.
The announcement of Graham representing Australia in the Senior World Championship has created a media buzz in the United States and Australia.
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