Sam Irwin-Hill (born 10 October 1990) is a former Australian-born

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

punter. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Early years

Irwin-Hill, attended high school at Bendigo, Australia, where he practiced

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

. He played junior Football at Eaglehawk Football Club and also played for the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup under 18s competition. He started learning

in an Academy called PROKICK Australia and one of his teammates was

Tom Hornsey Tom Hornsey (born 17 February 1989) is a former Australian-born punter. Hornsey was the Ray Guy Award winner in 2013, recognized as the best college football punter in America. Australian rules football Hornsey is from Geelong, Victoria, Austra ...

College career

Irwin-Hill accepted a football scholarship from the

City College of San Francisco City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a State school#United States, public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local ...

. As a freshman, he was the team's punter, averaging 40.6 yards per punt, while helping the Rams win the

CCCAA The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

state title with a perfect 12-0 record. Being an ambidextrous punter, he could kick with either leg. As a sophomore, he punted 44 attempts for an average of 41.7 yards per punt, including a long of 77 yards and downed 15 punts inside the 20-yard line. He helped the team advance to the

championship game, finishing the year with a 10-2 mark. He received first-team

Junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

All-American honors. He transferred to the

after his sophomore season in 2013. As a junior, he appeared in 12 games, averaging 44.3 yards (third in the conference) in 46 punt attempts. He led the SEC with 20 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. As a senior, he appeared in 13 games, averaging 40.1 yards in 58 punt attempts and dropped 27 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He rushed twice for 74 yards, including a 51-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

run against Texas A&M. He finished his collegiate career with a total of 4,365 yards on 104 punt attempts.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

On 17 April,

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, Irwin-Hill was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, where he was tried at both

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 ...

and punter. He had previously attended minicamp on a tryout basis with the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

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and

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. In the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

, he handled both punting and kicking duties. He was waived on 1 September

Washington Commanders

On 16 March,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Irwin-Hill signed with the Washington Commanders, but he was waived on 11 July.

San Diego Fleet

On 26 October 2018, Irwin-Hill signed with the

San Diego Fleet The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home game ...

. He suffered an injury before the start of the 2019 season and was placed on the roster exempt list on 30 January. After missing the season opener due to

travel visa A visa (from the Latin ''charta visa'', meaning "paper that has been seen") is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on t ...

issues, he was activated on 12 February. The league ceased operations in April 2019.

Atlanta Falcons

On October 8, 2019, Irwin-Hill was signed to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

practice squad, but was released three days later following an issue with his

. On February 7, 2020, Irwin-Hill was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. On April 25, 2020, Irwin-Hill was released by the Falcons.

References

External links

Arkansas Razorbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin-Hill, Sam 1990 births Living people Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Sportspeople from Bendigo Australian players of American football American football punters City College of San Francisco Rams football players Arkansas Razorbacks football players Dallas Cowboys players Washington Redskins players San Diego Fleet players Atlanta Falcons players