Wihan van der Riet

Wihan "Rocketfoot" van der Riet (born August 29, 1989) is a South African professional Canadian football placekicker for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Wihan van der Riet
Edmonton Elks
Position:Kicker
Personal information
Born: (1989-08-29) August 29, 1989
South Africa
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Suspended
CFL status:Global
Player stats at CFL.ca

Biography

Wihan van der Riet was born on August 29, 1989, in South Africa. In 2013, van der Riet posted a video of him making field goals which got the attention of former National Football League (NFL) player Michael Husted.[1] Husted later invited him to a kicking camp in San Diego. While in San Diego he worked out with their football team, the Chargers. When he returned to South Africa he received workout invitations from the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), and Chicago Eagles, Nebraska Danger, and Albany Empire of the Arena Football League (AFL).[1] He couldn't accept the offers due to a work visa issue and then shifted to coaching rather than playing. He founded the "Rocketfoot Kicking Academy", a training establishment for youth kickers, shortly afterwards.[2][1] In 2019, he worked out with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League but did not sign. In 2020, he claimed to be able to kick field goals as long as 80 meters.[3][4] In April 2021, he signed his first contract as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[5][6][7] He was released on June 18, 2021.[8] In February 2022, van der Riet was signed by the Edmonton Elks.[9]

References
  1. "About". The Rocketfoot Kicking Academy.
  2. "Wihan will hone the children's kicking skills". 14 October 2015.
  3. "Kicking coach uses different method to slot a kick that 'might even be more than 80m' - Rugby News & Videos". www.rugbydump.com.
  4. "'Rocketfoot' slots a kick from 80 metres". rugby365.com.
  5. "Roughriders Add Two Global Players". 29 April 2021.
  6. "Wihan van der Riet, Riders'a Katıldı | Korumalı Futbol Türkiye" (in Turkish).
  7. "Saskatchewan Roughriders sign two Global prospects". leaderpost.
  8. "Riders sign Global P Ben Scruton, release two others". CFL.ca. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  9. "Elks sign three, release three Global players". 3DownNation.com. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
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