Mitch Wishnowsky's cousins, Luke Wishnowsky (from left) and Lee Wishnowsky and their mates, Adam Satherley and Ross Pinkham, watch him kick off this years Super Bowl. Photo / Warren Buckland
Mitch Wishnowsky's cousins, Luke Wishnowsky (from left) and Lee Wishnowsky and their mates, Adam Satherley and Ross Pinkham, watch him kick off this years Super Bowl. Photo / Warren Buckland
It was a small family gathering in the corner of the Westshore pub on Monday, half a world away from the glitz and the glam of Super Bowl night in Miami.
But the connection for the Wishnowsky family was strong.
Popping up regularly on a screen dedicated to the gamewas their boy, Mitch Wishowsky, doing his thing as punter for the San Francisco 49ers on the biggest stage of them all.
He might not have come away with a treasured Super Bowl ring as the 49ers went down 31-20 to Kansas City Chiefs but his family could not have been more proud of his achievement.
"It's crazy seeing him on the screen with the Wishnowsky name on his back," his cousin, Lee Wishnowsky, said.
Mitch's parents, Marty and Penny, originate from Hawke's Bay but moved to Perth in the early 90s but still have strong roots in New Zealand and especially in Hawke's Bay.
He still has plenty of family in Hawke's Bay and family members make sure they keep in contact with each other despite having grown up so far apart; Mitch even ended up living in his home region of Hawke's Bay for six months before making the move to Melbourne.
Lee was living in Melbourne at the same time his cousin attended Prokick, and remembers him as extremely disciplined, very dedicated and focused throughout his training.
"He was living by the bones of his skin on not much at all but once he got the opportunity he didn't hesitate for a second and fully dedicated himself," Lee said.
"I would sometimes help him out and be his catcher when he went down to the local footy field to practise."
San Francisco 49ers' Mitch Wishnowsky kicks off against the Kansas City Chiefs to begin the Super Bowl. Photo / AP
Prokick Australia was developed in 2007 to help guide and transition Australian athletes to perform at the College/NFL level in America.
He soon got the chance to have a crack at college football but because of his early high school exit it meant he had to enrol in California's Santa Barbara City Junior College for two years to build up his grades.
He punted at the college for a year and sat out the second to ensure he was academically qualified to accept a scholarship at the University of Utah where he became an instant success.
He won the Ray Guy Award for college football's best punter in 2016 and last year, after impressing scouts at the NFL combine with his punting and 40-yard dash time of 4.63 seconds, was snapped up by the 49ers in the fourth round of the draft.
In just his second season in the NFL he is already competing in the Super Bowl.
