Maka Unufe
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| Full name | Kisi Keomaka Unufe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 28, 1991 (age 34) Chula Vista, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Provo, Utah, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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]
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] He competed for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[15][16]
