Full name | Kisi Keomaka Unufe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | September 28, 1991 | (age 32)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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. He has played over a decade with the United States national rugby sevens team. [3] He also played for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR) as a center.
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]
Unufe signed with the Houston SaberCats for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. [7]
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]
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