Sav Rocca
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| Personal information | |
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| Birth | November 20, 1973 , Melbourne, Australia |
| Recruited from | North Reservoir-Lakeside |
| Height and weight | 195cm / 112kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | 1992, Collingwood vs. Footscray, at MCG |
| Team(s) | Collingwood (1992-2000)
156 games, 514 goals Kangaroos (2001-2006) 101 games, 234 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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Saverio "Sav" Rocca (born November 20, 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer and current American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his Australian rules career he played for the Australian Football League's Collingwood and North Melbourne Football Clubs.
Saverio is the older brother of Anthony Rocca and for a brief time in their careers, they both played for Collingwood, combining at centre half and full-forward.
He is currently a punter for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles franchise, and he became the oldest ever rookie, taking the mantle from fellow Australian Ben Graham, in the NFL.[1]
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[edit] Early career
A big man, who was junior athletics champion in shotput, Rocca was recruited to Collingwood in 1991. He was a strong full-forward with a huge kick, showing true signs as a key player to the Magpies in his debut season of 1992. In 1993 however, he quickly got the attention from the crowds, kicking 73 goals including two hauls of 10 goals in a matter of 3 weeks, and the following season 49 goals.
A huge kick, he could kick the ball dead straight over 60 metres - a spectacular sight for Magpies fans. In 1995 he had his best season, almost getting 100 goals, falling short with 93 in only 21 games. He played a massive game in the traditional ANZAC Day clash, kicking 9 goals, and he bagged another 10 goals weeks later against the Crows. He also chipped in at the top of the table in the Pies best and fairest award. He continued to show he was a strong full-forward and always at the top in what seemed a disappointing side when it came to the ladder, he kicked bags of 66, 76 and 68 in the next 3 seasons, with him coming second in the Coleman Medal for 1997 behind Tony Modra.
His form however slipped, kicking only 60 goals in the next two seasons, despite winning his 7th consecutive leading goalkicker award in 1999 with only 33 goals, he was delisted after more than 150 games and over 500 goals for the club.
[edit] North Melbourne career
Despite being delisted, he was drafted to North Melbourne, where he made a new beginning. He was experienced and looking older, but he was only 27 when picked up and was seen to have plenty of years left in him standing in the goalsquare. He was successful kicking 98 goals in his first two seasons, enough to be the Roos leading goalkicker on each occasion. His form once again slipped over the years, but he was still a key member when needed, he has kicked his 700th goal in 2005, and set to play game 250.
[edit] 2006 season
During the 2006 season, Rocca was overlooked for selection by coach Dean Laidley for many Kangaroos games despite admirable form, including a bag of 6 goals in a 77-point loss to Collingwood where he was one of the few players to put in a solid performance.
He was given little game time and was dropped after Round 5, where he returned to the VFL with North Ballarat. In his first game with the Roosters he booted 7 goals straight, but was again left out of the senior Kangaroo side.
Rocca sustained a hamstring injury in round 10 of the VFL. In his 6 VFL games up to that time, he had averaged 4.83 goals.
At 32 and under contract until the end of the season, Rocca seemed close to retirement from the AFL. In preparation for a continued professional sporting career, he began training as an NFL punter, appearing in a video shot at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne showing his immense kicking range to talent scouts. Rocca remained at the Kangaroos to reach the 100 game milestone so that the father-son rule applies for his family.[2]
In an emotional farewell in the Round 22 match against his old club Collingwood, Rocca booted 3 goals. Wasting no time, he left for the United States on a trial as a gridiron punter with the Philadelphia Eagles the following Tuesday. [3]
[edit] NFL career
| Philadelphia Eagles — No. 6 | |
| Punter | |
| Date of birth: November 20, 1973 | |
| Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia | |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | Weight: 265 lb (120 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2007 for the Philadelphia Eagles | |
| Career history | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Rocca had tried out for the Buffalo Bills in 2006 but was not invited to training camp. Philadelphia, looking to provide some competition for Dirk Johnson signed Rocca for the 2007 training camp.
In the Eagles preseason, Rocca had several punts of over 50 yards and another that went over 65 yards. On the 65-yard punt, Antwan Barnes of the Baltimore Ravens leveled Rocca, knocking off his helmet. While officials did not penalize Barnes during the game, the league fined him US$12,500 for the hit. [4]
Rocca was also favored over Johnson by placekicker David Akers as his holder for place kicks. He was not perfect, however, mishandling a snap on one attempt and failing to handle a poor snap on a second attempt in a game against the New York Jets, [5]
On the final day of cuts, Rocca learned that he had won the job when Johnson was released. [6]
Rocca averaged 42 yards per punt during his first NFL season in 2007. [7]
Rocca (at 33) is the oldest rookie in NFL history, a title which previously belonged to another Australian born Punter, Ben Graham of the Jets (who was 31).
[edit] References
- ^ "Eagles take a punt on Rocca", FOX SPORTS Australia, 2007-09-01.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Blinq
- ^ "Ravens rookie Barnes fined for big hit against Eagles", Carroll County (Maryland) Times, 2007-08-24.
- ^ "Laces Out", The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), 2007-08-31.
- ^ "It's official: Johnson, Bloom among cuts", Philadelphia Inquirer, 2007-09-02.
- ^ "Saverio Rocca NFL career statistics", ESPN.
[edit] External links
- Sav Rocca profile on the Official AFL Website of the Kangaroos Football Club
- Sav Rocca's statistics from AFL Tables
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Gavin Brown, Nathan Buckley |
Copeland Trophy winner 1995 |
Succeeded by Nathan Buckley |
| Preceded by Dirk Johnson |
Philadelphia Eagles Punters 2007-present |
Succeeded by present |
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