First Austrian-American football player to make it to the highest hockey league
Sandro Platzgummer is the first Austrian-American football player in a skill position to make it to the highest hockey league. He began playing the sport on his sixth birthday in 2003 and went on to play American football in Austria for 17 years. Sandro won two U19 European gold medals with Team Austria, six Youth National Championships, four National Championships and three European club team finals with his team “Swarco Raiders Tirol”. After an undefeated 2019 season as an MVP in the final game, he was eventually signed by the New York Giants in April 2020. In addition to his career as a professional athlete, he also studies medicine.