The New Orleans Saints might have added the most interesting man in the NFL after the 2023 draft, having signed Australian punter Lou Hedley after his sensational run with the Miami Hurricanes. He hails from Mandurrah, a coastal city of about 107,000 people in Western Australia, and he’s as unique as they come.
Get to know him a little better before he arrives in New Orleans for rookie minicamp practices in a few weeks:
1
He's taken a round-the-world road to pro football
Hedley played semi-pro Australian rules football and worked as a scaffolder before trying his hand at the American game, the team at the City College of San Francisco after spending a few months learning the rules and working on his technique.
“I pretty much lived in a harness way off the ground for seven years of my life,” Hedley told Bleacher Report’s Adam Kramer of his career in construction. “It was all good fun, and it allowed me to stay fit while I worked. Plus, it was great money and I didn’t have time to spend any of it.”
2
He co-owned an Indonesian tattoo parlor
Hedley wears tattoos from head to toe; some of his tattoos have meanings as tributes to family members, others don’t. Back in 2016, he and a friend purchased Rosemarrie Tattoo in Bali, which made it easier to get inked and allowed him to further explore that interest. He sold his stake in the tattoo shop to finance his move to America.
3
He picked his jersey number to honor Dwayne Johnson
That’s right — “The Rock,” the legendary pro wrestler, Hollywood superstar, and co-owner of the startup XFL once wore No. 94 as a defensive end at Miami, which Hedley thought would be a great match for him. Johnson was impressed by the decision and promised to take up Hedley’s offer and work ou together someday.
Thanks for rockin’ my #94 @LouHedleyy.
Look forward to that workout one day. In the meantime, welcome to the U, keep disrupting and always be the hardest worker in the (MF’n) room. #TheU #94 💪🏾👊🏾 https://t.co/X1Ky1X4eFU— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 5, 2019
4
He's a proud father
“Everything I do is for that boy,” Hedley told Bleacher Report of his young son Loki Oliver. “It gets me up every morning. It’s a huge motivation for me, and I hope that maybe one day I can achieve my goal and he can watch me do it.”
5
And he's a spectacular punter, too
Hedley was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award in each of the last three seasons, which recognizes college football’s best punter every year, having been named a finalist for the award in 2020. In four years and 47 games with the Hurricanes, he punted 206 times with an average of 45.2 yards per try, dropping 77 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line.
