Jump to content

Maka Unufe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jevansen (talk | contribs) at 00:13, 4 June 2020 (removed Category:United States international rugby union players using HotCat). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Maka Unufe
Full nameKisi Keomaka Unufe
Date of birthSeptember 28, 1991 (1991-09-28) (age 33)
Place of birthProvo, Utah
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)[1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Center
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 Utah Warriors ()
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2011– United States 28 (48t)
Correct as of 2 September 2017

Kisi Keomaka "Maka" Unufe (born September 28, 1991) is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team.[2] Unufe is from Provo, Utah, United States.[3]

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.[4] He was then selected to play at the National All-Star Championships.[5]

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.[6] Following the tournament, U.S. national team head coach Al Caravelli described Unufe as "phenomenal" and "a star in the making."[7] In recognition of Unufe's rapid rise, Rugby Mag named Unufe the 2011 Men's Breakout Player of the Year,[6] and This Is American Rugby named Unufe the 2011 Youth Player of the Year.[5] Unufe made his Sevens World Series debut at the 2012 Wellington Sevens.[8]

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."[9] 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.[10] 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

  1. ^ a b "INJURIES BREED OPPORTUNITY AS EAGLES LIMP TO NEW ZEALAND", Rugby Today, Pat Clifton, January 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "Maka Unufe - Men's Sevens". USA Rugby. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ a b "TIAR Awards: Youth Player of the Year, Maka Unufe". This Is American Rugby. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  6. ^ a b [2]
  7. ^ [3]
  8. ^ [4]
  9. ^ "Eagles Learn Vegas Draw, Unufe Makes Dream Team". This Is American Rugby. 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  10. ^ "Vegas 7s Men: Comeback Propels Eagles Into Semi-finals, This Is American Rugby, March 4, 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maka_Unufe&oldid=960623515"