◆ Trending: Super Bowl 2024: Scottish players who have graced the NFL
San Francisco 49ers will face Kansas City Chiefs this weekend in the world’s most watched sporting event, the Super Bowl. Here are three Scottish players who have played in the NFL over the years.
David Ojabo: The 23-yearold was born in Port Harcourt in Nigeria but moved to Aberdeen aged just seven. At 6ft 4in, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 draft where he still currently plays as a linebacker.
Jamie Gillan: Born in Forres, Gillan is one of the most popular players in the NFL and is known as “The Scottish Hammer”.
The 26-year-old punter played rugby for Highland Rugby Club and Merchiston Castle School before his family moved to Leonardtown, Maryland when Gillan was aged just 16.
From there, he began playing American football in high school. He moved to the Big Apple to join the New York Giants in 2022 and recently signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension. Graham Gano:
Another Scotsman by birth, who plays for the New York Giants, is Arbroath born placekicker Gano.
Now 36 years old, the 6ft 2in special teams star has represented many teams during his spell in the States after attending Florida State University between 2005 and 2008, where he played for the Florida State Seminoles.
He set a Giants franchise record in 2020 when he successfully kicked three field goals of 50 or more yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.
Gano recently renewed his stay with Giants after signing a three year contract extension in September 2023.
At Super Bowl 50, whilst playing for the Carolina Panthers, Gano famously struck his 44-yard field-goal attempt off of the right post and missed the first field goal in a Super Bowl since 2011.
Prior to that, Gano had hit six straight field goals, including three in the postseason.