AMERICAN Football in Ireland went from Super Bowls and sports bars to a real opportunity over the course of this season, with 2023 looking like it will go down in history as the year that the NFL came to town.
From college scholarships to GAA players being called up to the combine, this year has put Ireland on the map in terms of talent in the NFL.
However, athletes need someone to look to, to prove it is possible, and for Ireland, that man is Wexford’s Dan Whelan, who grew up in Enniskerry, Co.Wicklow and now plays as a punter for the Green Bay Packers.
Whelan emigrated to America in his early teens with nothing but two suitcases and his mother, and now, he is strapping up his lid for the Packers.
Primarily a rugby and soccer player in his youth, Whelan had an unconventional introduction to American football.
“The head coach asked me to try out after watching me kick the ball in a soccer match,” said Whelan.
“I wasn’t in love with the game, I was in love with kicking and how mindless it was until you start understanding it and then it becomes a skill you have to get better at every day.”
Despite his athletic career taking him to places he could never have reached back home, Whelan still misses some things about the land of his birth across the pond.
He said: “I definitely don’t miss the rain, but I’d say I miss the chipper [the most].
“There was this one place in Greystones that I would get a bag of chips and chicken nuggets from, it was super good.
“It’s a little bigger than Ireland over here...we lived in a residential inn for a month, I got pretty sick as it was hard to adjust because it was so hot in Palm Springs.”
Whelan went on to play college football at UC Davis, graduating in Sustainable Environmental Design before pursuing his football career.
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Most college football players go to the NFL combine, where they are scouted and drafted, however, this was not meant for Daniel, who went the long way around, playing in the XFL, another professional football league, before finally making his jump to the big leagues.
He first practised with the New Orleans Saints and then signed with the Green Bay Packers in May, making their 53-man roster for the year.
He said: “Green Bay is a super nice place to live, it’s quiet but everybody is so focused on football and welcoming to anyone who joins the team so I’ve been really appreciative of that.”
This year has been one of ups and downs for the punter, but certain moments stand out for the Wicklow man, such as the Thanksgiving game against bitter rivals the Detriot Lions, which the Packers won 29-22.
“It was just a fun experience...The Lions blew us out at home so to go there and kill them, that was pretty fun,” he said.
Daniel also took great pride in representing Ireland during International Heritage Week, wearing a tricolour on his helmet when he played against the Denver Broncos.
He said: “I wish I could get to wear it for the whole season and represent Ireland all year.
“I take pride in it, Ireland is my country so whenever I get to represent I want to make sure I do a good job for them.”
He is the first Irishman in the NFL since Neil O’Donoghue, who was the kicker for the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the St Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals from 1977 until 1985, playing 110 games.
Daniel said: “I didn’t really know that [he was the first Irishman since 1985] at the time but I was pretty starstruck I would say.
“I feel like this year hasn’t hit me at all, I just have to keep going and power through,” he chuckled.
Going into the last two games of the season, Green Bay are still in the hunt for one of the last remaining postseason spots, playing NFC North rivals the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears.
“The mood is just ‘focus on Sunday’, we’re well-prepared so [we just need to] just finish the job,” said Whelan, who has averaged 46.1 yards per kick so far this season
“Just beat the Vikings and get ready for the Bears at home and then keep our head high for the playoffs.”