The last Austrian-born player to play in the NFL was kicker Ray Wersching, who retired from the 49ers in 1987. Bernhard Raimann is set to be the next.
Raimann talked on PFT Live today at the Scouting Combine about how he didn’t even see an American football until he was a teenager.
“I stumbled across it pretty randomly. My dad moved to the suburbs of Vienna and I saw some guys on the street playing catch with a football. I was like 13 at the time. I ended up joining them and that’s how I first played football,” Raimann said.
Raimann joined the local Vienna Vikings club team and decided to became a Minnesota Vikings fan, and then he spent a year as an exchange student at an American high school, joined the football team, and played well enough that he was recruited as a tight end to play at Central Michigan.
After two years at Central Michigan his coaches suggested that the 6-foot-7 Raimann put on some weight and move to the offensive line, and he thrived as a tackle. He now weighs 305 pounds, and NFL scouts like his potential.
Raimann once attended an NFL game in London, and as the league continues its attempts to catch on with European fans, he may be able to play in an NFL game in his home country some day.