Being the only Italian player in the entire National Football League, Giorgio Tavecchio gets asked a lot about his very first approach to American Football. Born and raised until he was 9 years old in Italy, a country where the national sport is soccer, it comes as a surprise that the 29 years old native of Milan became a NFL placekicker instead.
Funny enough, the push to give a try to America’s most iconic game came from his Italian family. “One day a friend of mine randomly asked me to come try out as a kicker on the High School football team my sophomore year and I initially said no,” Giorgio tells me, “but my mother urged me to try it out to see if I liked it. I went to the team’s practice the following day and had fun kicking a few footballs. But it was the delicious ribs at the team barbecue after practice that made me fall in love!”
Giorgio moved to the US when he was four, but then returned to live in Italy, in Rome, from age six to age nine before returning to the US and remaining for good. “We moved around a lot when I was younger because of my mother’s job. She is Italian-American but worked for the American government.”
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
Giorgio’s childhood memories of Italy involve his family, spending time with zii and nonna near Lake Como and playing soccer with his father and brother at the circolo in Rome. “Because I spent my early childhood in both countries, I feel native to both places, though my dad says I was the best soccer player in the US town where we first moved,” Giorgio proudly underlines while getting emotional recalling his past.
Giorgio, you started playing soccer like most Italian kids, but then switched to football. How do you feel by having become the only Italian player in the NFL league?
I feel fortunate to have a unique background which gives me a special opportunity to represent the many hopes and dreams of Italians who love American Football and follow the sport passionately overseas. More than that, I feel grateful for the chance I am given to highlight the values I find to be important: humility, dedication, sacrifice, and faith.
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
What did you like about it at first?
I enjoyed the camaraderie with my teammates, many of whom were my close friends.
When and how did you realize you could be a professional player?
I didn’t realize I could become a professional until my first year in the NFL (2012 with the San Francisco 49ers). I had a great mentor on the team named David Akers — a legendary kicker — who taught me invaluable lessons about the NFL and kicking. His confidence and belief in me convinced me I could play at that level.
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
How was your very first experience in a team in the US?
It’s fun to experience a sport that is so loved by Americans and that so personifies American culture.
You are a placekicker, can you explain what it means?
A placekicker is someone whose sole job is to kick the football through the goal posts. A successful kick is worth three points (a “field g oal”) or one point (an “extra point”).
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
I read your nickname is Italian Ice, how so?
I had success last season with the Atlanta Falcons and some of the fans came up with that nickname… I guess it sounds better than “Giorgio Gelato”!
Do you get stopped by fans? What’s the craziest thing that happened to you or something that some of them said that resonates with you?
No, I rarely get stopped by fans because other positions tend to be more visible than kickers most of the time. Also, wearing a helmet and spending most of your time on the sideline during the game make it difficult to get recognized just by appearance, though some people do recognize my name.
What’s the best compliment received by a fan?
The best compliment I’ve received from a fan involved them appreciating my kindness… Though the funniest compliment I’ve ever heard from a fan involved them thanking me for winning them $5,000 in Fantasy Football!
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
What’s the match you are more proud of?
The two most memorable games so far are my debut with the Oakland Raiders against the Tennessee Titans in September of 2017, and my debut with the Atlanta Falcons against the New York Giants in October of 2018.
And the best memory you have so far of NFL?
There are innumerable memories from my football journey thus far, so it’s difficult to just pick one. But if I really had to pick just one, I would say that the evening after my debut game with the Oakland Raiders in 2017 was very cathartic and gratitude-filled.
(Copyright: Giorgio Tavecchio)
What’s the difference between NFL in USA compared to soccer in Italy?
One thing I find curiously different is that although American Football is by far the most popular sport in the US, very few people actually play the sport. Generally speaking, you play from age 10 to age 18. From that point, only a select few players continue on to play at university level for four or five years, and only an even smaller select few are able to continue playing at the professional level after finishing their college careers. There are no private American football clubs or leagues (outside of the NFL) where people continue playing into their twenties and thirties. In Italy, soccer is by far the most popular sport but also the most played by Italians. This is a unique and paradoxical difference I find here in the US.
Where are you at the moment?
I’m currently living in Atlanta, Georgia.
What’s your goal for the future?
My goal is to continue to grow as a person and as a kicker, giving my best in every moment.
Which team would be a dream for you to play with?
I’d be happy to play for any team honestly, though getting to play close to home in the Bay Area is really special.
I saw a video of you cooking lasagna, what does cooking mean to you?
I really enjoy cooking because it allows me to serve others with passion, creating a communal time and space at the table. I also feel as though it connects me to my family traditions. My maternal grandfather was a chef and I hope to make him proud with the quality food I prepare for those around me.
What’s your favorite dish to prepare?
My favorite dish to prepare is Chicken Cutlet. It’s a very simple dish, but when it’s prepared well and served with arugula, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and a dash of lemon, it is absolutely delicious. To me, it represents a comfort-food with wonderful combinations of flavor; approachable and unpretentious. My passion for Italian wine and food has actually led me to start an importing company with three other colleagues; one Sicilian-American now living in LA with a very similar story to mine (Vincenzo D’Amato — a college football teammate), and two Italians from Torino who grew up playing American Football in the 80s, in Italy. A friendship began a few years ago in Italy and blossomed into a business idea, which we named after the jersey numbers of our two Italian colleagues: ElevenTwelve.
What’s the idea behind this?
The idea combines our experiences in American Football with our passion for Italian wine and food, as we import artisanal quality products from the Piemonte Region. American Football is by far the most popular sport in the US and Italian cuisine is among the most popular cuisines. Our aim is to unite these two worlds with our products and unique stories.
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