NOLA Gold Rugby Club obtained Devin Short last season after sending a foreign player position for 2021 in a trade with San Diego Legion. He returns for the second year of his contract for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. The 23-year-old flanker is 6’4″ and 215 lbs.
Devin played 553 minutes in 12 matches, starting 6, for NOLA Gold in 2021. He also played in the inaugural Premier Rugby Sevens tournament at Memphis, Tennessee on October 9, 2021, with the Loggerheads.
Devin previously played three seasons with the San Diego Legion, playing in 12 matches in 2019 and in 3 matches as a reserve in 2020.
Devin is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and attended Arbor View High School. He was a multi-sport athlete, participating in football, track, wrestling, volleyball, and in his senior year, rugby.
Despite being new to the sport of rugby, Devin helped to lead the Blackhawks to a Nevada high school state title. He attended the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy and played with their SoCal team, winning the Rocky Mountain Challenge. This led to his selection to the USA Rugby Under-18s High School All-American team.
After high school, he attended Adams State University on a football scholarship. That was short-lived, as a shoulder injury ended his season and he withdrew from College.
After becoming healthy again, Devin resumed playing rugby for the Las Vega Irish. He participated in the ‘Next Olympic Hopeful’ project at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and won. This gained him a three-month training program with the USA Rugby Sevens program.
Devin’s athletic prowess at training camp was evident and he was selected for the USA Falcons South American tour to the Punte del Este Sevens and the Vina del Mar Sevens and following his first season with the San Diego Legion, for the Rugbytown Sevens.
Devin has a bright future in rugby and the professional experience gained with the Legion will accelerate that development. During the 2019 season, Devin played in 12 matches for 822 minutes and scored two tries. He had 46 ball carries with 294 meters gained. He created 7 turnovers and made 107 tackles. He was also a force in the lineouts with one lineout steal.
Other Articles
DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe to include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.
