Maka Unufe
Full nameKisi Keomaka Unufe
Date of birthSeptember 28, 1991 (1991-09-28) (age 32)
Place of birthProvo, Utah
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)[1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Center
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 Utah Warriors ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2022– Houston SaberCats 0 (0)
Correct as of 21 December 2021
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2011–2022 United States 46
Correct as of 20 December 2021[2]

Kisi Keomaka "Maka" Unufe (born September 28, 1991) is an American rugby union player. He played for a decade with the United States national rugby sevens team, and now plays for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR) as a center.[3]

Early Years

Unufe is from Provo, Utah, United States.[4] Unufe previously played American football as a wide receiver at Provo High School. Unufe starred for the Utah Warriors at the Club 7s Nationals in August 2011, earning a nomination to the All-Tournament team.[5] He was then selected to play at the National All-Star Championships.[6]

Club career

Unufe signed with the Houston SaberCats for the 2022 Major League Rugby season.[7]

U.S. national rugby sevens team

Although only 19 years old at the time, Unufe made his international debut with the United States national team playing as a wing in the 2011 Pan American games against Chile in October 2011, scoring a try in his first game. He was the team's top try scorer at the Pan Am games with 5 tries, helping the U.S. national team win a Bronze medal.[8] Following the tournament, U.S. national team head coach Al Caravelli described Unufe as "phenomenal" and "a star in the making."[9] In recognition of Unufe's rapid rise, Rugby Mag named Unufe the 2011 Men's Breakout Player of the Year,[8] and This Is American Rugby named Unufe the 2011 Youth Player of the Year.[6] Unufe made his Sevens World Series debut at the 2012 Wellington Sevens.[10]

With the arrival of speedsters Carlin Isles and Perry Baker, Unufe was moved to center.[1] Unufe was named to World Rugby's Dream Team for the 2015 Wellington Sevens tournament, due to his "strong defensive plays and hard runs."[11] Unufe played for the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the U.S. finished in ninth place. Unufe was a key piece of the U.S. comeback at the 2017 USA Sevens from a 0–19 deficit against Argentina to win 21–19.[12] Unufe missed the entire 2018–19 season due to a suspension for a banned substance that had been contained in a diet supplement he had taken.

Unufe competed for the United States at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "INJURIES BREED OPPORTUNITY AS EAGLES LIMP TO NEW ZEALAND", Rugby Today, Pat Clifton, January 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Maka UNUFE, Wing". its rugby. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Maka Unufe - Men's Sevens". USA Rugby. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Donaldson, Amy (August 9, 2016). "Provo native Maka Unufe went from high school dropout to Olympian inspired by his family". Deseret News. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "7s Nationals All-Tournament Team". rugbymag.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 "TIAR Awards: Youth Player of the Year, Maka Unufe". This Is American Rugby. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  7. ↑ "Houston signs Maka Unufe, re-sign front row trio". americas rugby news. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  8. 1 2 "2011 RUGBYMag Awards!". rugbymag.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". utahwarriors.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "Full-Time Contracts Already Paying Off?". rugbymag.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Eagles Learn Vegas Draw, Unufe Makes Dream Team". This Is American Rugby. 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  12. ↑ "Vegas 7s Men: Comeback Propels Eagles Into Semi-finals, This Is American Rugby, March 4, 2017.
  13. ↑ "USA names rosters for Sevens World Cup". Americas Rugby News. 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  14. ↑ Cahill, Calder (2022-09-01). "Men's Eagles Sevens touch down in Cape Town as Rugby World Cup Sevens roster is confirmed". eagles.rugby. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
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