Paul Emerick

 The American Raptors have bolstered their rugby department as the team heads into 2022. The Raptors announced that USA Eagle Paul Emerick has joined the club as the head coach ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Emerick, who earned 54 caps with the Eagles and played in three Rugby World Cups, was a crossover athlete himself when he picked up rugby at the University of Northern Iowa after playing one year of football in college.

“I’m so excited,” Emerick said of his new role. “I was always a big fan of the idea and have been behind this mission 100 percent.”

Emerick was a wrestler and a football player before he became the first back in United States rugby history to earn more than 50 caps. He is looking forward to helping the next generation of crossover athletes achieve new heights in the game of rugby.

“To work with these guys, and try to upskill them and get them on a steep learning curve is exciting,” Emerick said. “Obviously winning games is the mark of a good program, but if we start sending guys over to Europe and some bigger clubs and ultimately into the national team, that’s our goal. It’s not out of the realm. Within two or three years of getting some of these guys, we should start turning our focus toward the national team. Myself and (Defense Coach) Luke Gross are living proof that if you get upskilled and you’re an athlete true to the word, anything is possible.”

Emerick’s professional career included stops at Amatori Catania and Overmach Parma in Italy, Dragos in Wales, Ulster in Ireland, and the London Wasps. He also competed in 17 sevens competitions with the United States from 2002-2010.

He comes to the Raptors serving four seasons as the Skills and Defense Coach for the Houston SaberCats. His stop in Houston included a stint as the Interim Head Coach where he led the team to a 4-1 record to close out the 2019 season. He coached at the Air Force Academy before joining the SaberCats in 2018.

To learn more about the American Raptors, visit americanraptors.com.