Austria: Raiders Tirol sign veteran running back & coach Mike Gentili

| American Football | 03/20/2022

The Swarco Raiders have made a splash signing bringing in the help of a European football veteran signing Mike Gentili.

The running back, wide receiver, defensive back, and experienced coach aims to wear many hats as part of his duties in Innsbruck.

The 33-year-old, 5’10”, 215 pound native of Leominster, Massachusetts, has been coaching in Italy with Achei Crotone the past few months and now looks to become a player-coach in Austria. Gentili will be playing for the Raiders Austrian Football League team while coaching running back and special teams with the Raiders Tirol of the European League of Football.

The veteran runner spent has had a well-traveled career as of late playing for the Osos Rivas in Spain in 2021 where he put up 826 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns. After the season, Gentili suited up for both the Lazio Ducks and Helsinki Roosters later that year. The year prior Gentili played for the Örebro Black Knights of Sweden and the Helsinki Roosters.

This past fall, Gentili was a key part of team Italy’s historic gold medal run in the IFAF European championships. The dual citizen rushed for two touchdowns in decisive title game victory over Sweden.

He spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Lazio Ducks in Italy’s Div. I, rushing for a total of 1,087 yards in 14 regular-season games. He was important in helping Team Italy defeat Austria to advance to Europe’s Final Four. He finished his college career with a two-year stint at Bridgewater State University (NCAA Div. III) where he rushed for 912 yards. He also played at the University of New Hampshire (NCAA Div. I) and Curry College (NCAA Div. III).

The Swarco Raiders of the Austrian Football League add Gentili to a roster featuring quarterback Isaiah Weed and several experienced domestic talents. On the ELF side, Gentili’s football knowledge should help the Raiders be one of the league’s most successful newcomers.

Read more about Gentili’s football journey here

Watch Gentili’s 2021 highlights here:

Alex is a former NCAA and semi-pro American football player who is now located in London, where he works in digital marketing. His goal in writing for AFI is to stay involved with the game that has given him so much. Alex enjoys covering leagues and