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Cards' Graham: From Down Under To On Top

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By KATHERINE SMITH

ksmith@tampatrib.com

Published: January 30, 2009

TAMPA - Ben Graham doesn't necessarily have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just something slightly more than a country.

"He's got an entire continent rooting for him," Arizona long snapper Nathan Hodel said.

Graham, the Cardinals' punter, went from Down Under to down-and-out to the grandest stage in the NFL. He will become the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl, an accomplishment that almost never happened.

Cut three times before landing with the Cardinals on Dec. 1, Graham's head has been spinning the past couple of weeks.

"I'm on top of the world. I'm still pinching myself," he said. "These last eight weeks have been unbelievable."

According to Anthony Sharwood of the Australian sports magazine Alpha - one of a host of Australian media members documenting Graham's achievement - the punter's ascension to the Super Bowl has taken somewhat of a backseat to the Australian Open and cricket.

"I would say it's big, but not massive," Sharwood said. "This is a diversion that people are noticing. It's not front page or major headlines. But if he wins, that's going to change."

Graham landed in the States in 2005 after 11 seasons with the Australia rules football team Geelong Football Club.

"We wanted to get out. We wanted to experience the big, wide world," Graham said of the decision he and his wife made to move the family to New York, where he joined the Jets as a rookie in 2005.

"The first six months were tough. We had ups and downs, but it's been an amazing journey."

Katherine Smith

THE BUZZ

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