Matt Retzlaff heads back to Sweden to continue football career

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — A former South Medford High School and Southern Oregon University football standout won’t let a worldwide pandemic stand in the way of following his dreams.

Former Southern Oregon University record-holding wide receiver, Matt Retzlaff, isn’t hanging up his cleats despite not making the NFL or Canadian Football League.

Retzlaff will continue his football journey in Sweden for his second stint in three years.

The former South Medford Panther player’s football journey will bring him back to the Mean Machines American Football team in Stockholm where he won a national championship in 2018.

This time, Retzlaff will be a player and a coach, another one of his passions.

“Since I’ve been back in the United States, I’ve always had the desire to keep on playing, continue playing on and it really hit me during this COVID season … I still believe I could continue my football playing career,” Retzlaff said.

Retzlaff tells us he’s working hard to maximize the season by working out six days each week and brushing up on his Swedish language skills.

The preparation also includes getting cleared for international travel, where he could get a phone call any day.

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NBC5 News weather forecaster Aaron Nilsson is a Southern California native, but most recently lived in Seattle. He's also lived in Sweden and Utah. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors Degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Scandinavian Studies. While at BYU, he covered sports for BYUtv. Aaron is not new to the Medford/Klamath Falls market. He was a local TV journalist from 2013-2017. Outside the station, Aaron enjoys music, traveling, sports, movies, and cooking. His favorite sport is soccer.
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