Paul Rabil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Rabil

Rabil in June 2023
Born	(1985-12-14) December 14, 1985 (age 39) Gaithersburg, Maryland, US
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	220 pounds (100 kg)
Shoots	Right
Position	Midfielder
NCAA team	Johns Hopkins
NLL draft	2nd overall, 2008 San Jose Stealth
NLL teams	San Jose Stealth Washington Stealth Philadelphia Wings
MLL draft	1st overall, 2008 Boston Cannons
MLL teams	Boston Cannons New York Lizards
PLL teams	Atlas Lacrosse Club Cannons Lacrosse Club
Pro career	2008–2022
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2024

Paul Rabil (born December 14, 1985) is an American sports leader and a former professional lacrosse player. He is the president of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). He started the PLL with his brother, Mike Rabil, who is the league's CEO.

Rabil played college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University. He was named an All-American player all four years. He holds records for goals, assists, and points in college playoffs. He helped his team win two championships in 2005 and 2007. In 2007, he won the McLaughlin Award as the best midfielder in the country. He was added to the Johns Hopkins Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

Rabil played professional lacrosse in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) for eleven years. This was from 2008 until 2018, when he co-founded the PLL. He then played in the PLL for three years, from 2019 to 2021. He won the MLL Offensive Player of the Year Award three times. He also won the MLL MVP Award twice. He won the MLL Championship two times, in 2011 and 2015. In 2021, he was named a 1st team all-pro player. Rabil holds the record for the most career points in professional lacrosse. He scored 657 points over 14 seasons. Many people think Paul Rabil is one of the greatest lacrosse players ever.

Growing Up and School

Paul Rabil was born on December 14, 1985, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. His parents are Allan and Jean Anne Rabil. His mother was an art teacher at a Catholic school. His father worked in sales and encouraged Paul to try many sports. Paul grew up in Montgomery Village. He went to public school there.

As a child, Rabil had many interests. He played basketball, soccer, and swam. He also loved music and learned to play several instruments. His mother wanted him to stick with lacrosse, and he really enjoyed the game. He kept playing lacrosse throughout elementary and middle school.

High School Lacrosse

At Watkins Mill High School, Rabil became a starting player on the varsity team in his first year. Many private high schools noticed him. Rabil then moved to DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. This happened after he played in a summer tournament with their team.

During his three years at DeMatha, Rabil led the team to three Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championships. Their team had a great record of 49 wins and 16 losses. In his last two seasons, Rabil scored 288 total points. This included 80 goals and 73 assists. He was named a 2-time All-American and a 2-time All-State player. He was also ranked as the #4 high school player in 2004. Rabil chose to go to Johns Hopkins University. He liked Coach Dave Pietramala's leadership and the school's history of championships.

College Lacrosse Career

Rabil started at Johns Hopkins University in the fall of 2004. It was hard for him to keep up with schoolwork at first. Rabil has a condition called auditory processing disorder. This makes it harder to understand sounds and spoken words.

Despite school challenges, Rabil's lacrosse career at Johns Hopkins began well in 2005. In his first year, he scored 37 points with 23 goals and 14 assists. This helped Johns Hopkins win the national championship. Rabil was named Third Team All-American. In 2006, his second year, he scored 25 goals and 13 assists. He earned First Team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award. Johns Hopkins lost in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals that year.

As an older student, Rabil scored 27 goals and 26 assists in his junior year, totaling 53 points. He was named First Team All-American for the second year in a row. He also won the McLaughlin Award and was a Tewaaraton Award finalist again. Rabil led his team to their ninth national title, beating Duke University 12-11. In his senior year, Rabil scored 36 goals and had 14 assists for 50 points. He earned First Team All-American honors for the third year in a row. However, Johns Hopkins lost to Syracuse in the 2008 National Championship game. Rabil graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2008. He studied political science and had a minor in business.

Professional Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse (MLL)

The Boston Cannons picked Rabil first overall in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse draft. In his first year, 2008, Rabil played in the Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game. He quickly made a big impact on the Cannons' offense. In 2009, Rabil won the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year awards. He also played in his second All-Star Game. In 2010, he made his third All-Star Game and was named to the First Team All-Pro MLL Team. Rabil won the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year again in 2011. He led the Cannons to their first MLL championship in 2011.

In 2012, Rabil broke the all-time points record with 72 points in one season. This earned him his third MLL Offensive Player of the Year award. In 2014, Rabil played in his seventh All-Star game and was named to his sixth MLL All-Pro First Team. In 2015, he was traded to the New York Lizards. He finished his MLL career with the Lizards. With them, he won his second MLL championship in 2015. He was named the playoff's MVP. Rabil left the MLL in 2018 to start the Premier Lacrosse League with his brother, Mike.

National Lacrosse League (NLL)

Rabil also played in the NLL. The San Jose Stealth drafted him second overall in 2008. In his first season, 2009, he scored 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points. He was named to the 2009 All-Rookie Team. In 2009, the San Jose Stealth team moved and became the Washington Stealth. In 2010, Rabil scored 11 goals and had 26 assists. He helped the Washington Stealth win an NLL Championship.

In 2012, Rabil was traded to the Edmonton Rush. However, Rabil wanted to be closer to his home in Maryland. So, he did not join the Edmonton team and sat out the rest of the 2012 NLL Season. He was then traded to the Rochester Knighthawks, but again did not report. Soon after, he was traded to the Philadelphia Wings. In 2013, Rabil played his last NLL season with the Philadelphia Wings. He scored 17 goals and had 21 assists for 38 points.

Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)

Paul Rabil started the PLL in 2018 with his brother, Mike Rabil. The league was supported by several investment groups. The Rabil brothers created the league to help lacrosse players earn more money and get better benefits. At that time, only a few players like Paul could make a good living from lacrosse. This was thanks to his social media and endorsement deals. The Rabil brothers wanted to help all lacrosse players make the sport their full-time job.

The league's first season began on June 1, 2019. Six teams played in the league. Paul Rabil was a founder and also played for the Atlas Lacrosse Club. In 2021, Rabil was traded to the Boston Cannons. He finished his playing career with the Boston Cannons in 2021 and then retired from playing in the PLL. Rabil said he retired to focus on the business side of the PLL. He wanted to keep building the league and work on his other business projects.

Business Ventures

Rabil started Rabil Ventures in 2016 with his brother, Mike Rabil, and David Acker. Rabil Ventures helps companies by investing money, giving advice, and providing hands-on support. They invest in companies of different sizes and in various industries. They focus on new companies in sports, finance, real estate, and health. The company is based in San Francisco, California. It has invested in 30 companies and has managed 38 companies in total.

Rabil also founded Rabil Companies in 2008. This company is based in Baltimore, Maryland and has about ten employees. Rabil Companies works to help the sport of lacrosse grow in a real and positive way. They do this by creating great lacrosse experiences for young players. These experiences focus on helping players improve, compete, and learn new ideas. They also work to make it easier for everyone to play lacrosse, no matter their background or skill level. Finally, they create high-quality content that shares the story of the organization and the people who love the sport. Rabil Companies includes many of Rabil's projects that aim to grow the game of lacrosse. Some of these are The Paul Rabil Experience and Project Nine lacrosse training.

Helping Others

Rabil started the Paul Rabil Foundation in 2011 with his brother Mike, his mother Jean Anne, and his father Allan. The foundation helps children with learning disabilities. Paul himself had Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and auditory processing disorder as a child.

The Paul Rabil Foundation creates sports and school programs. These programs help children with learning differences succeed in the classroom. Since 2011, the foundation has given scholarships to students with learning differences. The foundation also helps kids learn through sports and activities. The Paul Rabil Foundation has given equipment to local public schools. It has also started lacrosse programs in schools in New York, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

Rabil also wants to help grow the game of lacrosse with the PLL. He noticed that most parks have basketball courts, baseball fields, and soccer goals. To help lacrosse grow, Rabil wants to donate lacrosse goals to parks in all 50 states every year. By doing this, Rabil hopes to make it easier for more people to play lacrosse.

Movies and Books

In 2022, Rabil and his brother Mike Rabil were in Fate of a Sport. This was a Disney ESPN Film documentary. It was directed by Michael Doneger and produced by Matt Tolmach and Michael Doneger.

Rabil wrote a book in 2024 called The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward. It is a guide on how to think like a champion in sports, business, and relationships.

Personal Life

Rabil was married to former lacrosse player, Kelly Berger, from 2014 to 2017. Since 2022, he has been in a relationship with British actress Vanessa Kirby.

Statistics

Rabil once held the record for the world's fastest lacrosse shot. It was 111 miles per hour. This record was broken by Zak Dorn in 2014.

PLL

GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted

NLL

Reference:

GP–Games played; G–Goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; LB–Loose balls; PIM–Penalty minutes; Pts/GP–Points per games played; LB/GP–Loose balls per games played; PIM/GP–Penalty minutes per games played.

MLL

NCAA