| Date of birth | May 4, 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Newark, Delaware, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Malacchi Esdale (/ˈɛzdeɪl/ EZ-dayl; born May 4, 1995)[1] is an American rugby union player for the United States men's national rugby sevens team. He was selected as part of the U.S. squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Early life and football career
[edit]Esdale was born on May 4, 1995, in Newark, Delaware.[2] He attended middle school in the area before moving to Naples, Florida, for high school, with the goal of playing professional American football.[3][4] He attended Naples High School, initially playing quarterback before switching to wide receiver; he totaled 17 receptions for 239 yards and three touchdowns as a junior.[5] He also tried out rugby union at Naples, briefly playing for the Naples Bears before transferring to Appoquinimink High School in Delaware for his senior year.[5]
Esdale played football at ASA College in New York and then transferred to play for the Miami Hurricanes, but was unable to make the team.[4] He then transferred to the University of Central Florida (UCF) as a student and quit playing football.[5]
Rugby union career
[edit]While at UCF, Esdale joined the school's club rugby team.[5] He later joined the amateur Orlando Griffins.[5] In 2017, he was selected to play for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR), which began in 2018.[5] A wing, he played three years for the SaberCats from 2018 to 2020, appearing in 28 games while scoring 25 points.[6]
Esdale was named an alternate for the United States men's national rugby sevens team at the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021), but ultimately did not play.[3][5] He made his debut at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 2021 against Canada.[7] He was a part of the U.S. team at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2022.[8] He was selected for the U.S. squad at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[3] In The News Journal prior to the games, he described the conditioning necessary for Olympic rugby sevens as "borderline crazy".[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "ESDALE Malacchi". Olympics.com. 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Esdale Malacchi". Olympics.com.
- ^ a b c d Holveck, Brandon (July 24, 2024). "'Borderline crazy' conditioning preps Delaware native for role on U.S. Olympic rugby team". The News Journal – via archive.ph.
- ^ a b May, Jaron (May 10, 2024). "Former Naples High School football player to compete for USA Rugby in 2024 Paris Olympics". WBBH-TV.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fisher, Adam (July 23, 2021). "Former Naples football player Malacchi Esdale goes for gold in rugby at Tokyo Olympics". Naples Daily News.
- ^ "Malacchi Esdale". americasrugbynews.
- ^ "Malacchi Esdale". United States men's national rugby sevens team.
- ^ "Malacchi Esdale". Team USA. March 2024.