NFL vet Tavecchio joins Vienna Vikings
Veteran NFL kicker Giorgio Tavecchio has joined the European League of Football’s Vienna Vikings as the Austrian franchise’s new position coach ahead of the 2025 season, which kicks off next month.
The Italian played football at the University of California Berkeley, before spending meaningful time with the then Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, as well as being a practice squad member on a handful of other teams, in an NFL career that lasted eight seasons. He played his first NFL game as a Raider on September 10th , 2017, where converting four-of-four field goals and two extra points against the Tennessee Titans earned him NFL Special Teams Player of the Week honours — a recognition he would also earn during his spell in Atlanta. Tavecchio spent a part-season with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the ill-fated AAF before a brief spell in Tennessee brought his NFL career to a close.
“Giorgio brings a tremendous amount of experience, not only from college football and the NFL, but also from Europe,” Vikings HC Chris Calaycay pointed out, referencing his previous ELF campaigns with the Barcelona Dragons and Milano Seamen, “He fits in perfectly with the Vikings culture and it’s a blessing to have him join our coaching staff so late in the process.”
The Vikings two kickers, Dennis Tasic and Oskar Herz, have already completed their first sessions under Tavecchio’s watchful eye as he takes up a role that will also see him working with the team’s punters.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to become part of the Vienna Vikings’ coaching team,” the Italian noted. “I look forward to contributing to the team’s success and continuing to promote American football in Europe.”
The Vikings begin their fourth ELF campaign on the road against the Prague Lions on Sunday 18th May.