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.
| Date of birth | May 4, 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Newark, Delaware, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life and football career
editEsdale was born on May 4, 1995, in Newark, Delaware.[1] He attended middle school in the area before moving to Naples, Florida, for high school, with the goal of playing professional American football.[2][3] 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.[4] 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.[4]
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.[3] He then transferred to the University of Central Florida (UCF)[when?] as a student and quit playing football.[4]
Rugby union career
editWhile at UCF, Esdale joined the school's club rugby team.[4] He later joined the amateur Orlando Griffins.[4] In 2017, he was selected to play for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR), which began in 2018.[4] A wing, he played three years for the SaberCats from 2018 to 2020, appearing in 28 games while scoring 25 points.[5]
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.[2][4] He made his debut at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 2021 against Canada.[6] He was a part of the U.S. team at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2022.[7] He was selected for the U.S. squad at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2] In The News Journal prior to the games, he described the conditioning necessary[clarification needed] for Olympic rugby sevens as "borderline crazy".[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "ESDALE Malacchi". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024.
- ^ 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.com.
- ^ "Malacchi Esdale". eagles.rugby. United States men's national rugby sevens team.
- ^ "Malacchi Esdale". teamusa.com. Team USA. July 31, 2024.