Maka Unufe
Full name | Kisi Keomaka Unufe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | September 28, 1991 | (age 30)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Provo, Utah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 210 lb (95 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kisi Keomaka "Maka" Unufe (born September 28, 1991) is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team and the Houston SaberCats.[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.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "INJURIES BREED OPPORTUNITY AS EAGLES LIMP TO NEW ZEALAND", Rugby Today, Pat Clifton, January 30, 2018.
- ^ "Maka UNUFE, Wing". its rugby. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Maka Unufe - Men's Sevens". USA Rugby. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b "TIAR Awards: Youth Player of the Year, Maka Unufe". This Is American Rugby. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ "Houston signs Maka Unufe, re-sign front row trio". americas rugby news. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ "Eagles Learn Vegas Draw, Unufe Makes Dream Team". This Is American Rugby. 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ "Vegas 7s Men: Comeback Propels Eagles Into Semi-finals, This Is American Rugby, March 4, 2017.
External links[]
- Maka Unufe at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- 1991 births
- Living people
- American rugby union players
- Sportspeople from Provo, Utah
- United States international rugby sevens players
- Olympic rugby sevens players of the United States
- Rugby sevens players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games medalists in rugby sevens
- Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
- Rugby sevens players at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Rugby union centres
- Houston SaberCats players