 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Carlin Russell Isles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 21, 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Akron, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Ashland University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carlin Isles (born November 21, 1989) is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team. With 202 tries, Isles is second for the United States in career tries scored, behind teammate Perry Baker. Isles has been touted as the fastest rugby player. [1] [2]
Isles and his twin sister, Tambra, grew up in Akron, Ohio in foster homes, rarely seeing their mother. At the age of seven the siblings were adopted by Starlett and Charles Isles; Isles credits his adoptive parents with providing the stability and love he needed to excel in sports. [3] [4]
Carlin Isles was a gifted American football and track and field athlete while attending Jackson High School (Massillon, Ohio). Isles holds the school records in the long jump, 100 meter, 200 meter, and 400 meter events at Jackson. He was also a part of the record holding 4 × 200 m relay team at Jackson High School. His 2007 100m school record breaking time was 10.58 seconds which was also a county record at that time. Carlin was a two-time, back-to-back OATCCC Indoor State Champion in high school in the 60m dash running 6.83 seconds which was a Division I meet record up until March 2012. He was a state runner-up in the 200m dash his junior year and runner-up in the long jump and 100m dash his senior year in addition to being third in the state in the 100m dash his junior year. In his senior year at Jackson High School, Isles ran a 4.28 second, electronically timed 40 yard dash. [5] Carlin was an all-conference, all-county football player as well.
Isles continued running track and playing American football while enrolled at Ashland University where he was an All-American in the 60m dash and ran a personal best of 6.68 seconds which is a school record. He holds freshman class records in the 100m dash and 200m dash (indoor and outdoor). On the football field, Carlin was an All-GLIAC selection and holds school records for most kickoff return yardage in a game (174 yards) and longest kickoff return for TD (100 yards)
Before taking up rugby in 2012, Isles ranked as the 36th fastest sprinter in the United States with a 100 metres outdoor personal best of 10.13 seconds. [6]
Isles took up the sport of rugby in 2012. [7] He was encouraged to begin playing rugby by Miles Craigwell, another crossover athlete from American football who played for the United States national team. [7] Isles played his club rugby with the Gentlemen of Aspen RFC, based in Aspen, Colorado.
Isles first caught the attention of the rugby media in summer of 2012 when Rugby Mag dubbed him "The Fastest Man in American Rugby." [7] Isles played for the US national developmental team Atlantis in July 2012 at the Victoria 7s tournament. [7]
Isles debuted for the US national sevens team in October 2012 at the Gold Coast Sevens as a second-half substitute against New Zealand, and scored a try in his first minute on the pitch. [2] Overall at that tournament he scored three tries and was one of the leading scorers for the U.S. team. Isles continued to be a regular scorer for the United States during the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series. Isles was quickly noticed for his incredible speed. A YouTube video posted on December 9, 2012, titled "Carlin Isles: Olympic Dream" further boosted his profile, as the video went viral and by December 23, 2012, and now has over 7 million views. [2] The video closes with the words of long-time IRB commentator Nigel Starmer-Smith:
I've never seen anyone that quick on a rugby field ever ever, XVs or Sevens. I don't think anyone else has either.
Isles played for the US national team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where rugby sevens was introduced as an Olympic sport. [7]
On February 29, 2020, Isles became the first ever USA player to score 200 tries. He completed this feat in a 19–17 victory match against Samoa during the 2019-20 World Rugby Sevens Series in Los Angeles. [8]
The following table shows Isles' scoring by season on the World Rugby Sevens Series, as of July 19, 2022.
| WR 7s Season | Tries | U.S. Rank | World Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | 17 | 2nd | 31st |
| 2014–15 | 32 | 1st | 4th |
| 2015–16 | 16 | 4th | – |
| 2016–17 | 6 | 10th | – |
| 2017–18 | 49 | 1st | 1st |
| 2018–19 | 52 | 1st | 1st |
| 2019–20 | 22 | 1st | 2nd |
| 2020–21 | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | 10 | 5th | – |
| Career | 217 | 2nd | 8th |
Source: [9]
Isles was under contract with Glasgow Warriors of the Pro12. [10] In February 2014, he signed to play with Glasgow Warriors. He was a part of the Warriors 7's side that won the Melrose Sevens in April 2014. [11] Isles did not make an appearance for Glasgow Warriors first XV that season but gained experience playing 15's with the Scottish Premiership side Ayr RFC, an amateur club in the Warriors district. At the end of the season Isles decided to leave the club and concentrate on playing rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympics. [12] Isles was the leading try-scorer for the U.S. at that tournament.
He was signed by the Detroit Lions on December 26, 2013 [13] to the team's practice squad. [14] During a workout with the Detroit Lions Isles ran a time of 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash. [15]
In February 2014, Isles left the Lions to take up a contract with the Glasgow Warriors. [16]
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering 40 yards (36.576 m). It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football. This was traditionally only true for the "skill" positions such as running back, wide receiver, and defensive back, although now a fast 40-yard dash time is considered important for almost every position. The 40-yard dash is not an official race in track and field athletics, and is not an IAAF-recognized race.
Euan Murray is a retired Scottish rugby union footballer, whose last club was Pau in the French Top 14.
The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and was led by Head Coach Mike Friday from 2014-2024, when he resigned and was replaced by Simon Amor.
Kevin Samuel Locke, also known by the nickname of "Knobby", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Northcote Tigers in the Auckland Rugby League. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League and for the Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the Super League. He primarily plays as a fullback and wing.
Fionn Carr is an Irish rugby union former player. He played primarily as a wing but could also play at fullback. Carr played most of his professional career for Irish province Connacht in the Pro12. He also played for another Irish province, Leinster. Carr represented Ireland at Schools, Under 19 and Under 21 level, as well as at international 'A' level and the Ireland national rugby sevens team.
Lieutenant Leone Nakarawa is a Fijian rugby union footballer and Olympic gold medalist. He plays as a Second-Row forward for Toulon and represents the Fijian national team in international rugby. He previously played for Glasgow Warriors and is Warrior No. 224. He won the Pro12 with the Glasgow Warriors in 2014–15 and re-signed with the club in 2020. Inbetween that period, in 2016 he signed for Racing 92. In 2018 he was awarded the EPCR Player of the Year accolade.
Nikola Matawalu is a Fiji international rugby union player. He plays in the scrum-half position but can also cover wing. He previously played for Glasgow Warriors. He had over 100 appearances for the Glasgow club and won the Pro12 title with them in season 2014-15. He also played for US Montauban in the French Rugby Pro D2 and Pontypridd RFC in the Welsh Premier Division.
Christian Wade is an English professional rugby union footballer, and former American football player, currently playing as a wing for Gloucester.
Marvin Bracy-Williams is an American sprinter, and a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, and quit just prior to their 2013 national championship season to pursue a professional career in track. He holds personal bests of 9.85s in the 100 m and 6.44 s in the 60 m, which he set in 2022 at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. He won three straight U.S. National Championships at 60 meters in 2014–16. In July 2016, Bracy came in third in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Kisi Keomaka "Maka" Unufe is an American rugby union player. He has played over a decade with the United States national rugby sevens team. He also played for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR) as a center.
Alexander Magleby is the CEO of the professional rugby union team, The New England Free Jacks. He is a former professional rugby union coach, and former United States national team player and captain.
Tyrone Holmes is a South African-born Scottish professional rugby union footballer.
Thomas Samuel Fenwick Seymour is a Scottish former professional rugby union player. He made 55 international appearances for the Scotland national rugby union team 2013–2019, scoring 20 tries which placed him fourth-top try scorer for the country. He played in two world cups and the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. His regular playing position was wing.
Folau Niua is an American rugby union former player. He played fly-half for the United States national rugby sevens team from 2011 to 2022, and holds the U.S. record for most tournament appearances with over 65 caps.
Albertus Stephanus 'Kwagga' Smith is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Shizuoka Blue Revs in Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. His regular position is flanker.
Jean-Pierre du Preez is a South African rugby union player for the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship. His regular position is lock. He previously played for the Cheetahs and Sale Sharks.
Perry Baker is an American former rugby union player who played for the United States national rugby sevens team. He is a two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year. At the time of his retirement, with 293 tries Baker ranked first among Americans and second among all international players in tries scored. He also ranked 7th on the all-time point-scoring list with 1,467.
Ellia Tiriseyani Green is an Australian rugby union and rugby league player. He was formerly a member of the Australia rugby sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He also played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRLW.
Thibault Giroud is a French rugby union coach working as the Performance Director for the French national team. He was previously a strength and conditioning coach for Glasgow Warriors. He previously played for NFL Europe as a Running Back; trained as a Sprinter; as an Olympic Bobsleigher; then a rugby union player and now strength & conditioning coach with various rugby teams.
Kevon Williams is an American rugby player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team on the World Rugby Sevens Series.
100 Metres 10.24 +1.1 Arlington, TX 24 MAR 2012
