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How rejection from the Sydney Swans led to Dickson's Super Bowl path
Charles Goodsir • February 10th, 2026 2:19 pm
Michael Dickson became the second Australian in as many years to play in a winning Super Bowl after his Seattle Seahawks downed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
However, it could’ve been so different had Dickson not turned to Prokick Australia following a rejection from the Sydney Swans. Dickson was a member of the Swans academy but was eventually overlooked in the national and rookie draft.
Founder Nathan Chapman praised Dickson’s resilience as he transformed an unsuccessful AFL career into NFL immortality.
“The Swans told him that they didn’t want him anymore,” Chapman said on SEN 1170.
“That’s just it. It’s the same for a lot of young men who are chasing the AFL dream.
“At the time, Dickson just wasn’t quite there as a great footballer and (teams) can only pick so many people in the draft. There are a lot of kids that just miss out.
“He was looking for other opportunities and he knew that he could kick. He came down to Melbourne and straight away, we knew we could send him to college and at least get his degree.
“He was in America six months after that and played for Texas. His first game was in front of 105,000 people.
“We’ve had a few guys (from Prokick) go to the Super Bowl but we hadn’t had a student win one.
“We are all really chuffed for him. He was speechless (after) the game to a degree.
“It wasn’t a bad turnaround.”
Dickson’s stellar showing in Super Bowl LX solidified his standing in the NFL as the league’s best kicker and Chapman believes he proved why he is the highest paid punter in the NFL’s history.
Prokick has launched the career of several Australian punters including Cameron Johnston, Mitch Wishnowsky, Jeremy Crawshaw and many more.
Chapman told SEN that more Australian punters are in the pipeline and to expect more Australians to represent the NFL.
“Right now, we will have 95 players playing College Football,” Chapman added.
“We’ve done over 430 full scholarships to college which equates to about $180 million worth of college education fees paid for.
“That’s the goal. We have always seen ourselves as an academic institution.
“It’s about getting that degree, getting your life sorted and putting your life on a plan.
“We have players who are now making US$100-200,000 a year to go to college on top of their scholarship.
“This year, we’ve had six players in the NFL and there've been 12 over the course of the 18 years.”
