From being a Syracuse nobody to a Cleveland Browns kicker, Andre Szmyt has indeed leveled up! While the athlete has found his footing on the special team, his love for kicking didn’t come from football. It started with soccer, a game that his parents introduced to his life when he was a kid. Now, let’s take a closer look at Andre Szmyt’s parents, who made the ball magic happen. 

Early Life of Andre Szmyt’s Parents

Andre’s father is Eric Szmyt, who grew up in Massachusetts but is a New England Patriots fan at heart. On the other hand, the athlete’s late mother, Lala, hailed from St. Petersburg, Russia, where soccer reigned supreme. No wonder Andre was destined to pick up the ball. 

While talking to The Daily Orange, Eric revealed how his son played the sport so competently until junior high. “He had played soccer since he could remember … since he could walk,” he said. “He did all the travel teams and all that good stuff through most of high school,” he added. 

However, the NFL kicker gave up on soccer after high school, thinking he would do much better professionally in football. Eric called his son’s transition to football pretty sudden, but had seen it coming. “It was obvious that he had the talent and ability to do this right from the get go,” he said. While Andre’s father has always loved football, the sport was comparatively new to his mother, thanks to her different and rich heritage. 

Lala Szmyt’s Russian Heritage and Legacy

The mother of the Browns’ placekicker was a third-generation Russian immigrant whose connection to soccer ran deep. Andre’s great-great uncle on Lala’s side played for the Soviet Union national team as the starting goaltender. Lala never watched American football until her son started his collegiate career.  

When the athlete wanted to make the big switch to football, Lala was anxious. The act of getting hit and tackled didn’t make sense to her. She changed her mind only when the father-son duo explained the ways of the game and showed her videos. “She was like, ‘OK. It’s kind of like soccer,’” Andre said.

Influence of Andre Szmyt’s Parents on His Football Career

While Andre had the talent, it was his parents who shaped ‌his journey to ‌NFL stardom. Eric and Lala were happy to see their son competing in soccer at the junior level. Yet, they welcomed Andre’s decision to pursue American football and stood by his side through his unsteady college career. 

Despite a terrific freshman year at Syracuse University, Szmyt’s game went downhill because of coaching changes. Andre’s form turned around for good when Bob Ligashesky took charge as the special teams coordinator in 2022. Throughout this time, Eric and Lala remained supportive of their son’s career, with Eric frequently attending his games. The year 2025 marked a low phase for Andre because of the passing of his mother. 

The Impact of Lala’s Passing on the Szmyt Family

On 10 July 2025, Lala lost her life to a brain aneurysm, and the suddenness caught the whole family off guard. She was a “remarkable woman of intellect, conviction, and adventure,” her obituary stated. During an interview with Cleveland, the NFL kicker revealed how his family couldn’t process what had happened, given how healthy the mother of three was.

Additionally, he recounted how involved Lala was in her kids’ lives, especially Andre. When Szmyt was a free agent, he used to crash at his parents’ house located outside of Chicago. It was his base as he trained and waited for the NFL people to call him. During that period, the mother-son duo hung out almost every day and even cooked together.  

“Having to go back to football is obviously a lot. But I know her, God is giving me strength because I don’t know how else I’d be able to function,” Szmyt said. To cope with the loss, the player has embraced her mother’s Russian Orthodox faith and even attended Sunday morning services. In the Week 3 game against the Green Bay Packers, fans saw Andre making the sign of the cross before mapping out his kick. It was how he honored his mother and her strong beliefs.

As for other family members, they are supporting each other during this period. Meanwhile, Eric rarely misses a chance to watch his son play because being there means everything to him.