Håvard Rugland (born October 7, 1984), nicknamed Kickalicious, is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

. His trick-shot videos gained him notoriety on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. He competed for a roster position on several

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) teams and played in a pre-season game for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

NFL career

On September 16, 2012, Rugland posted a video titled ''Kickalicious™'' onto

, under the name "bighdeluxe". After the video went viral, Rugland traveled to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

to train with retired NFL kicker

Michael Husted Michael James Husted (born June 16, 1970) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League. He played nine seasons with four teams. His first six seasons were with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also played for ...

. In December 2012, the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

hosted a tryout for Rugland. In March 2013, Rugland worked out for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

and the Lions, who later signed him in April. He competed with

David Akers David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Reds ...

for the starting spot. On August 9, 2013, Rugland made his NFL debut in a preseason game against the

, going 2-for-2 with a long field goal from 50 yards out. On August 24, 2013, Rugland was cut by the Lions in favor of Akers. He went 3-for-3 in preseason with field goals of 33, 49, and 50 yards. After Rugland cleared waivers, the Lions attempted to sign Rugland to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, but the league rejected the signing, claiming that the rule that the Lions had used to allow the signing was no longer valid. He then had a workout with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, but was not added to the Packers' opening day roster. On January 28, 2015, Rugland and sponsor

Pepsi Max Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Max is still available primarily in Asian and European markets. While Pepsi Max was ...

Norway released a video titled ''Kickalicious™ part 2'' on the latter's

channel, in which Rugland showcases more trick-shot skills at famous natural landmarks throughout Norway. The video featured music by Norwegian punk rock band

Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (1 ...

References

1984 births American football placekickers Detroit Lions players Living people Norwegian players of American football People from Gjesdal Norwegian YouTubers Sportspeople from Rogaland {{Norway-sport-bio-stub