Maka Unufe

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]

Maka Unufe
Full nameKisi Keomaka Unufe
Date of birthSeptember 28, 1991 (1991-09-28) (age 28)
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(s)
Years Team Comps
2011– United States 28 (48t)
Correct as of 2 September 2017

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.

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See also

References
  1. "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.
  5. "TIAR Awards: Youth Player of the Year, Maka Unufe". This Is American Rugby. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  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.
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