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Michael Dickson (American football)

Michael Dickson (born 4 January 1996) is an Australian professional American football punter for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and was selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. Regarded as one of the best punters in the league, his career punt average of 47.7 yards per punt ranks as the highest in NFL history.[1][2]

Michael Dickson
refer to caption
Dickson with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018
No. 4 – Seattle Seahawks
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1996-01-04) 4 January 1996 (age 28)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Kirrawee (Sydney)
College:Texas (2015–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 5 / pick: 149
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Punts:468
Punting yards:22,503
Punting average:48.1
Longest punt:73
Inside 20:195
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Born in Sydney, Dickson first played soccer in his youth before switching to Australian rules football at the age of 9.[3] In his first year of playing Australian rules football, he earned the Golden Boot award for having the best kicking. He excelled in Australian football while playing for the University of New South Wales- Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs[4] in the local Sydney AFL competition and was subsequently placed in the Sydney Swans talent academy as a teenager.[5] He continued to play for UNSW-ES and the Swans reserves[6] in the North East Australian Football League in an attempt to be drafted to a professional AFL team[7] but was overlooked at the 2014 AFL draft.[8] Dickson's Australian football career highlight occurred when he was chosen to play for the Swans in the 2014 NEAFL Grand Final.[9] The Swans were defeated by a two-point margin in the final.

In 2015, at the age of 19, he moved to Melbourne to trial with Prokick Australia, a coaching program designed to help aspiring kickers and punters cross the Pacific and crack American football.[10] Through his Prokick Australia experience, he was picked up by the University of Texas as a punter by head coach Charlie Strong.[11]

College career

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Dickson in 2017

In his first season with the Longhorns, Dickson had 77 punts for 3,179 net yards for a 41.3 average in 2015.[12]

In the 2016 season, Dickson had 65 punts for 3,079 net yards for a 47.4 average.[13]

In 2017, Dickson won the Ray Guy Award and was a unanimous All-American.[14] He was named MVP of the 2017 Texas Bowl.[15] In his junior season, Dickson had 84 punts for 3,984 net yards for a 47.4 average. In late December 2017, it was announced that Dickson would forgo his senior year at Texas in favor of the 2018 NFL draft.[16][17]

College statistics

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Year School Conf Class Pos G Punting
Punts Yds Avg
2015 Texas Big 12 FR P 12 77 3,179 41.3
2016 Texas Big 12 SO P 12 65 3,079 47.4
2017 Texas Big 12 JR P 13 84 3,984 47.4
Career Texas 37 226 10,242 45.3

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 2+3⁄8 in
(1.89 m) 		208 lb
(94 kg) 		31+1⁄4 in
(0.79 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[18]

Dickson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round, 149th overall, of the 2018 NFL draft.[19] Dickson would go on to win the punting job, after the Seahawks released longtime veteran Jon Ryan during the preseason.[20] He made his NFL debut during the season opening 27–24 road loss to the Denver Broncos, punting six times for 354 net yards.[21]

Dickson was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions.[22] With minutes remaining at fourth-and-8 from their own three-yard line, Dickson was instructed to waste time in the end zone before giving up an intentional safety. Instead, after receiving the snap, he ran it nine yards for the first down, sealing the win.[23][24][25] The unscripted play was later dubbed "The Aussie Sweep."[26] Dickson was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November 2018.[27]

Dickson punted 78 times for 3,759 yards in the 2018 season. His average of 48.2 yards per punt ranked as the second-highest in the league.[28] In addition to punting, Dickson occasionally used the previously obscure drop kick maneuver on kickoffs for the Seahawks, both onside kicks and standard deep kicks.[29] For his efforts, Dickson was voted into the 2019 Pro Bowl, the first rookie punter to participate since Dale Hatcher in 1985.[30] Dickson was also named as a first-team All-Pro.[31] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[32]

In the 2019 season, Dickson had 74 punts for 3,341 yards, an average of 45.2 yards per punt.[33]

In Week 2 of the 2020 season, against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, Dickson punted four times (50-yard average) with all four of them landing inside the 20-yard line during the 35–30 victory. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the performance.[34] In Week 15 against the Washington Football Team, Dickson punted four times, all landing inside the 20-yard-line, earning another NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor.[35] During the 2020 season, Dickson punted 61 times for 3,028 yards, with his punting average of 49.6 yards being the second-highest in the league, and the ninth highest single-season average of all time.[36]

Dickson signed a four-year, $14.5 million contract extension with the Seahawks on 4 June 2021.[37][38]

During Week 5 of the 2021 season, in a game against the Los Angeles Rams, Dickson initially had a punt blocked. He then chased down the football behind the line of scrimmage, picking it up with one hand, and punting it for a second time while on the run, reminiscent of Australian rules football. The punt would go for 68 yards, his longest of the season, and be downed on the Rams' 10-yard line.[39] The "double punt" received national attention due to its relative obscurity, and is considered one of the most memorable special teams plays of all time.[40][41][42]

Dickson punted the ball a career-high 83 times for 3,895 yards during the 2021 season, an average of 46.9 yards per punt. He pinned 40 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, the most in the league that season, and the 10th most in a single season in NFL history.[43][44]

In the 2022 season, Dickson punted 66 times for a 48.47 average.[45] In the 2023 season, he punted 66 times with a 50.05 average.[46]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP Punting
Punts Yds Avg Lng Blk
2018 SEA 16 78 3,759 48.2 69 1
2019 SEA 16 74 3,341 45.1 63 0
2020 SEA 16 61 3,028 49.6 67 0
2021 SEA 17 83 3,895 46.9 68 0
2022 SEA 17 66 3,199 48.5 68 0
2023 SEA 17 66 3,303 50.0 73 0
Career 99 428 20,525 48.0 73 1

Postseason

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Year Team GP Punting
Punts Yds Avg Lng Blk
2018 SEA 1 7 360 51.4 60 0
2019 SEA 2 7 325 46,4 64 0
2020 SEA 1 8 446 55.8 71 0
2022 SEA 1 4 194 48.5 60 0
Career 5 26 1,325 51.0 71 0

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NFL Yards per Punt Career Leaders (Since 1939)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  2. ^ Djordjevic, Patrick (29 November 2021). "Michael Dickson has the Hall of Fame and UFOs on his mind". ESPN.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Michael Dickson goes from Sydney Swans Academy". Daily Telegraph. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  4. ^ Canavan, Sam (2 September 2015). "Longhorns take a punt on Dickson". AFL NSW / ACT. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  5. ^ Wingard, Anthony; Stedman, Myles (30 April 2018). "Former NEAFL player Michael Dickson snapped up in NFL Draft". NEAFL. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  6. ^ "LHN All Access: Michael Dickson [Nov. 28, 2015]". Texas Longhorns. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Whiting, Michael (5 August 2014). "AFL names academy players eligible for draft". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  8. ^ McCullough, Ian (15 October 2018). "Australian punter Dickson thriving as an NFL revolutionary". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  9. ^ McManus, Luke (9 January 2018). "Dickson eyes the big time". Sydney Swans. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Academy: Dickson joins Seahawks". Sydney Swans. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Australian punter Michael Dickson committed to Texas". Gridiron DownUnder. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Michael Dickson 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Michael Dickson 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  14. ^ Gartland, Dan (21 December 2017). "Texas punter declares early for NFL draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  15. ^ Moyle, Nick (28 December 2017). "Texas punter Michael Dickson named Texas Bowl MVP". Chron.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  16. ^ Trotter, Jake (21 December 2017). "Horns punter Dickson declares for NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Michael Dickson 2017 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Michael Dickson Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  19. ^ Boyle, John (28 April 2018). "Seahawks Draft University Of Texas Punter Michael Dickson In Fifth Round Of 2018 NFL Draft". Seahawks.com. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  20. ^ Boyle, John (20 August 2018). "Seahawks Release Longtime Punter And Franchise Icon Jon Ryan". Seahawks.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – September 9th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  22. ^ "2018 NFL Week 8 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  23. ^ Boyle, John (28 October 2018). "Aussie Sweep: How A Bold Decision By Michael Dickson Helped The Seahawks Win In Detroit". Seahawks.com. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  24. ^ Bell, Gregg (8 October 2021). "Seahawks punter Michael Dickson was freelancing when he took off running for game-clinching first down at Detroit". The News Tribune. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  25. ^ Condotta, Bob (28 October 2018). "Seahawks punter Michael Dickson earns a new nickname with unscripted run on fake punt". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  26. ^ Patton, Andy (29 October 2018). "'Aussie sweep' was an unplanned, but 'incredibly beautiful play'". Seahawks Wire. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  27. ^ "AFC and NFC Players of the Month – November". NFL.com. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Michael Dickson 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  29. ^ Reineking, Jim (18 September 2018). "Seahawks rookie Michael Dickson does the rarely seen drop-kick, twice". USA TODAY. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  30. ^ Condotta, Bob (18 December 2018). "Seahawks Bobby Wagner and Michael Dickson voted to the Pro Bowl, seven others are alternates". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  31. ^ "2018 NFL All-Pros". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  32. ^ "2018 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Michael Dickson 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  34. ^ Gordon, Grant (23 September 2020). "Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Bills QB Josh Allen among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  35. ^ Gordon, Grant (23 December 2020). "Bills QB Josh Allen, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray lead Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  36. ^ "NFL Single-Season Yards per Punt Leaders Through 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  37. ^ Boyle, John (4 June 2021). "Seahawks Sign Punter Michael Dickson To Four-Year Contract Extension". Seahawks.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  38. ^ Mickanen, Dylan (4 June 2021). "Seahawks ink punter Michael Dickson to 4-year extension". NBCSports.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  39. ^ Reardon, Logan (11 October 2011). "Monday Round-Up: Michael Dickson's Double-Punt Goes Down As 'Play Of A Lifetime'". Seahawks.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  40. ^ Douglas, Stephen (8 October 2021). "Michael Dickson's Double-Punt Was One of the Best Plays Ever". The Big Lead. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  41. ^ "The NFL's Play of the Year Might Just be the Double Punt from Seattle's Michael Dickson". CBS News. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  42. ^ Curtis, Charles (8 October 2021). "Michael Dickson's double-punt is one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Yes, really!". For The Win. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  43. ^ "Michael Dickson 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  44. ^ "NFL Single Season Leaders – Punting Inside-20 (since 1976)". The Football Database. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  45. ^ "Michael Dickson 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  46. ^ "Michael Dickson 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
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