It’s been quite the year for Racine Raiders wide receiver Jersey Eickhorst. Eickhorst recently signed a contract to play professionally for the Graz Giants. Eickhorst joins the team midseason after a season-ending injury to one of the Giants American import players. Eickhorst will take their place on the Graz roster.
The Giants are currently 6-0 and tied for first place in the Austrian Football League (AFL) with the Prague Black Panthers and one game ahead of the AFC Vienna Vikings. They are scheduled to play Prague on June 25. Eickhorst is looking to win titles in two different European countries this year.
Eickhorst is fresh off winning an English national championship with the UWE Bullets, a collegiate team. Prior to that, he made the switch from defensive back to wide receiver for the Raiders last season. Eickhorst played collegiately for Benedictine University and prep football at St. Catherine’s High School.
The Graz Giants are the oldest American football team in Austria, having been founded in 1981. They have won the Austrian Bowl ten times with their latest championship occurring in 2008. They’ve won the European Federation of American Football Cup three times, which was the most by any team during the 12 year run of the tournament from 2002-2013. They also participated in the European Football League (EFL) tournament several times but never made the EuroBowl. The EFL disbanded in 2018.
