Austin Elite Rugby has signed Dominique Bailey for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The soon to be 26-year-old back row is 6’1″ and 205 pounds.
Dominique was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but grew up in Kansas City, Kansas for the majority of his youth. He moved back to Kentucky for high school, attending Eastern High School from 2008-2012. While there the rugby team won the State Rugby Championship in 2011, with Dominique selected a the Forwards MVP. He also was involved in wrestling, football, and track.
Dominique then attended Davenport University from 2012-2017, earning a BBA Degree in Marketing. He played rugby his entire time at Davenport with the team advancing to the D1A National Semifinals in 2015. He also achieved USA Rugby Men’s Collegiate All-American Honorable Mention honors in 2015 and in 2016 and was also named to Men’s Collegiate All-Americans Sevens team in 2017.
He played club rugby with the Chicago Lions in 2018 and played in the Elite Cup against Old Blue. At the 2018 Rugbytown 7s, he played with Tiger Rugby.
Dominique will be a quality addition for Austin Elite Rugby for the 2019 MLR season.
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“Austin fans haven’t seen me in a while, but I’ve been working behind-the-scenes rehabbing and constructing the new gym facility,” says Bailey. “Re-signing with Austin is truly a blessing and I’m so excited to be in 2021, it’s going to be a great year.”
Bailey played 458 minutes through ten matches with Austin Elite in 2019 and suffered a knee injury at the tail end of the season. Bailey joined the AG’s last season and worked tirelessly to rehab his knee. He was projected to make his AG’s debut at the midseason mark, but season cancellation put a halt to his return to the pitch. While rehabbing, Bailey proudly served as the foreman in constructing the club’s new high-performance precinct.
Bailey has made a full recovery and looks forward to making his return to the pitch in 2021.
“When Dom wasn’t rehabbing, he was constructing our gym, refilling water bottles, or holding a video camera,” says Matt Burgess. “Players that want to leave their stamp on the club, beyond their on-field performance, are central to what we’re trying to build here in Austin.”
Bailey starred at Davenport University in both fifteens and sevens, alongside NOLA Gold standout JP Eloff. He twice earned Collegiate All-American honorable mention and in 2017 he was selected to the Collegiate All-American Sevens team. Upon graduation, Bailey joined Eloff with the Chicago Lions, a Division 1 club powerhouse that has seen ten players into the MLR ranks. In 2018, Bailey made standout performances in the Elite Cup against New York’s Old Blue and with Tiger Rugby at RugbyTown7s.
Welcome back to Austin, ‘The Foreman’ Dom Bailey!
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