Saarbrucken, Germany- In the 2021 Stagg Bowl, Kyle King and Mikkah Hackett paved the way for UMHB football’s 57-24 victory over North Central. At quarterback King threw for 436 yards and three touchdowns, and at linebacker, Hackett was named the game’s most outstanding player, tallying 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks and a pair of interceptions.Â
After King signed with the Saarland Hurricanes on Jan. 10, it was announced Friday that the duo would become teammates once again. Only this time, on a field some 5,211 miles from Belton in a city of 178,000 across the Atlantic.
The Saarland Hurricanes made Hackett’s contract official just before the end of the week, as the German Football League team added this Texas flavor to its largely European roster. Hackett is the third American to sign with the club for the 2023 season.Â
The league permits each team to sign just four Americans, meaning half of the current roster is made up of Crusader alumni, both of whom were All-America selections at the D-III level. And three former D-III All-America selections are represented, with North Central College receiver Andrew Kamienski joining King and Hackett on the roster.Â
Hackett’s career concluded with the Stagg Bowl in 2021, as the linebacker from Alto, Texas played five years in the UMHB program, beginning in 2017. He was a part of both the 2018 and 2021 national championship teams, seeing action in each of the two Stagg Bowls. In 2020-21, Hackett was a Second Team All-America by D3football.com as well as a First Team All-ASC linebacker, leading the Cru with 46 tackles. He kept that success going into 2021, where he had 53 tackles, 28 solo, and three intercpetions. His season-best 10 tackles came against North Central in the final game of his collegiate career. Hackett returned to Belton as a graduate assistant this past season.
The Saarland Hurricanes were founded in 1982, and play their home games at Ludwigsparkstadion, a 35.053 seat stadium, situated in Saarbrucken, which sits on the western border of Germany, about an hour’s drive from Paris, France. The team, though having never claimed a GFL title, has finished above .500 in four of the last five seasons. With King and Hackett on board, this coming season, set to begin on May 20, will certainly bring forth a new audience for the Hurricanes from down in Texas, and might just result in a league title run as well.
WoW that is so cool both players on the same team and the WR from North Central gives King a very good player to throw too…….. I wish all three the very best…… Go Cru
Super proud of this young man I’ve watched him compete since he was a kid .He will be a star in the GFL