History was made in the world of American Football over the weekend when unranked Illinois defeated top 10 side Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, and there was an Irishman at the heart of it.
Kicker James McCourt grew up in Dublin before moving to Florida at age 8, and on Saturday he kicked the winning field goal in Illinois' first win over a ranked programme in over a decade.
And speaking after the game, he revealed how an upbringing playing rugby and soccer in Ireland influenced his kicking, McCourt said: "I was kicking a lot in these sports.
"In Irish sports you use your feet a lot between rugby or soccer and in middle school when I started playing tackle football they needed a kicker and I decided that I had a pretty good boot.
"I got a lot of training and then by the time I was in high school I got asked by the University of Illinois to come and play for them, it's been really exciting."
McCourt, who is distantly related to Ireland rugby star Garry Ringrose, revealed that he attended school in Ranelagh and he fell in love with the sport before moving away.
He even lists Ireland rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll as an inspiration after playing for Lansdowne RFC up to second class.
"I fell in love with rugby and I have Brian O'Driscoll listed as my sporting hero because he's somebody I've always admired, his work ethic and dedication.
"There's very much Brian on the field and off the field, they're two very respectable people and he's someone I really strive towards."
The Universities of Illinois and Nebraska will travel to Dublin for the 2021 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in the Aviva Stadium. For more information and ticket packages for Notre Dame vs Navy in 2020 and Illinois vs Nebraska in 2021 please see collegefootballireland.com
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