Akarika Dawn facts for kids

Akarika Dawn (born January 10, 1984) is an American athlete and coach. He has played both American football and rugby league. Rugby league is a team sport played with an oval-shaped ball. Players score points by carrying the ball and touching it down in the opponent's end zone. Akarika Dawn currently plays for the Jacksonville Axemen in the USA Rugby League (USARL). His main position is second-row forward.

Dawn played college football for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. He later played briefly in the Arena Football League (AFL). After that, he started playing rugby league. He played for the Jacksonville Axemen in Florida and the Burleigh Bears in Australia. Since 2010, he has played for Jacksonville. He has also represented both the United States and Canada in international games.

Early Life and College Sports

Akarika Dawn was born in Houston, Texas. He went to Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas. There, he played high school football. In 2002, he joined the University of Colorado at Boulder. He played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team.

Playing for the Buffaloes

Dawn played as an inside linebacker for the Buffaloes from 2002 to 2005. In his final year, he played in all twelve games. He started in two of those games. He finished his college career with 180 tackles. A tackle is when a player stops an opponent with the ball. He graduated in 2006. He studied Black Studies and Ethnic Studies.

Rugby League Journey

After college, Dawn signed with the Austin Wranglers. This was an Arena Football League (AFL) team in 2007. He played as a linebacker and fullback. He made three tackles during his time in the AFL. He left the team in February 2007.

Later that year, his agent suggested he try rugby league football. Akarika had never played rugby before. He decided to try out in Australia in July 2007. To learn the game, he joined the Jacksonville Axemen. This team was part of the American National Rugby League (AMNRL). He played for three weeks in Jacksonville. He quickly became a top player. He impressed coach Spinner Howland.

Playing in Australia

In July, he tried out for professional clubs in Australia. These clubs were part of the National Rugby League. He was the second Axemen player to do this. He eventually signed with the Burleigh Bears. He played for them in the Queensland Cup.

Return to the United States

After playing in Australia, Dawn came back to the United States. He coached high school football in Houston. In 2010, he returned to rugby league. He signed with the Jacksonville Axemen again. He quickly became one of the team's most popular players. That year, he was chosen for the United States national rugby league team. He played in the 2010 Atlantic Cup in Jacksonville. Dawn continued to play for the Axemen in the 2011 season.

International Rugby League

Akarika Dawn has played for two different countries. He has played one international game for the USA and one for Canada.

Playing for the USA

His first game for the USA was on July 6, 2013. He played as a center in a Colonial Cup game. The USA team lost to Canada by a score of 36–20.

Playing for Canada

Three years later, on September 24, 2016, he played his first game for Canada. This game was against the United States. It was part of the 2016 Americas Championship. Canada lost the game 8–14. Akarika played as a second-row forward in this match.

Life After Professional Sports

Akarika Dawn was a teacher for some time. He also coached linebackers at Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, Texas. He worked there until early 2014.