Cam Dolan facts for kids
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| Birth name | Cameron Alexander Dolan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | March 7, 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb; 18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Life University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cameron Dolan (born March 7, 1990) is an American rugby union player. He usually plays as a Number 8, which is a key position in rugby. Currently, he plays professionally for the NOLA Gold team in Major League Rugby (MLR) since 2018. Before joining NOLA Gold, Cameron also played rugby professionally in other countries.
Cameron Dolan's Early Rugby Days
Cameron Dolan started playing rugby in high school. He played with the Naples Bears in Florida. He also spent some time playing for St Edward’s school in England.
After high school, Cameron played college rugby at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a very successful player there. He was named to the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) All-Tournament team in both 2012 and 2013. This means he was one of the best players in the college tournament.
Cameron was also named a "First Team All-American" four times. This is a big honor, showing he was one of the top college rugby players in the country. In 2013, he helped Life University win a National Championship.
Cameron Dolan's Club Career
Cameron's great playing caught the attention of Jim Mallinder, a coach from the Northampton Saints team in England. In November 2013, Cameron was offered a professional contract to play for the Saints. This meant he would play rugby as his job.
He joined another American player, Samu Manoa, at the club. Cameron didn't play in many main team games at first. However, he played well for the Saints' smaller teams. His hard work earned him another year with the team. Cameron played his first professional game for Northampton Saints on January 31, 2015.
After two seasons with the Saints, Cameron moved to another team. He joined the Cardiff Blues in Wales for the 2015-16 season. Later, he played for San Diego Legion and Nottingham before joining NOLA Gold in the United States.
Cameron Dolan's International Career
Cameron Dolan started playing for his country in 2009. He was chosen to be the captain of the United States U20 team. This team played in the 2009 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy. At this time, he also received a special grant to help develop young rugby talent in the U.S.
His strong performances led him to the United States senior team. He joined them for the 2013 IRB Pacific Nations Cup. This was the first time the U.S. team was part of this competition. Cameron made his full international debut against Fiji. He played as a Number 8.
In October 2013, Cameron was made captain of the USA Select XV team. He led them to two wins. After this, he was named the "U.S. Breakout Player of the Year" by Rugby Mag. This award recognized him as a rising star in American rugby.
Cameron was the starting Number 8 when the USA team made history. In 2018, they won their first-ever game against a "Tier 1" nation, which was Scotland. This was a huge achievement for American rugby.
Cameron Dolan has played many games for the USA Eagles. He holds the record for the most victories as a USA Eagle. He achieved his 30th win in his 59th game when the USA beat Chile in 2022. This shows how important he has been to the national team.
