Hayden Smith
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| Date of birth | April 10, 1985 | ||
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| Place of birth | Penrith, Australia | ||
| Height | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 116 kg (18.3 st; 256 lb)[1] | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Lock/Second Row | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 2008 | Denver Barbarians | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2008-2012, 2014-present | Saracens F.C. | 44 | (5) 1t |
| correct as of 28 January 2014. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2008-present |  United States |
18 | (0) |
| correct as of 25 December 2013. | |||
No. -- Free Agent | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tight End | |||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: April 10, 1985 | |||||||||
| Place of birth: Penrith, NSW, Australia | |||||||||
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Career information | |||||||||
| High school: Wentworth Falls (NSW) Blue Mountains | |||||||||
| College: Metro State | |||||||||
| Debuted in 2012 for the New York Jets | |||||||||
Career history
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Career NFL statistics as of 2012 | |||||||||
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Hayden Smith (born in April 10, 1985) is a professional rugby union player for Saracens FC and former professional American football tight end for the New York Jets.
Early life
Hayden grew up in the town of Bullaburra in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, Australia. He graduated from Blue Mountains Grammar School. Whilst training with basketball team Sydney Kings, Hayden won a scholarship to play and study in the United States. He went on to study Finance at the New York Institute of Technology. Hayden transferred to Metro State College in Denver, Colorado where he completed his degree and moved from basketball to rugby union.
Rugby union career
As an Australian, Smith was very aware of rugby union but didn't start playing the sport competitively until 2008. Within weeks of starting he played for the All-American Team and following his graduation, had started to play with the Denver Barbarians. Soon after joining the Barbarians, he was named 2008 Rugby All-American[2]
Smith joined the professional English side Saracens FC in the 2008/09 season on an academy contract. He made his academy debut against Newcastle Falcons in the 2008/09 season. His performances for the academy team Saracens Storm quickly saw him elevated to the first team squad. Smith impressed to earn a first team contract for the following seasons in which he went on to play a total of 43 matches in both the Aviva Premiership and the Heineken Cup.
It was not just on the domestic stage that Smith impressed, he also was a regular with the USA Eagles, for which he qualified on residency grounds. He made his test debut on November 8, 2008 against Uruguay. Smith helped his country qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup during which he started all 4 group stage matches for the USA.[3] It was at the World Cup where Smith played his last match for his country, on September 27, 2011 against Italy.
On the 9th December 2013 it was announced that Hayden had re-signed for Saracens on a long term deal. In January 2014, Smith played his first professional rugby match for Saracens since returning from the NFL.[4]
National Football League career
New York Jets
Smith was looking at the possibility of playing in the NFL and had a workout with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints.[5][6]
The New York Jets signed Smith on April 3, 2012.[7] He was waived on August 31, 2012.[8] A day later, he was signed to the Jets' practice squad.[9] On October 27, 2012, He was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad.[10] He was released on August 26, 2013.[11]
References
- ↑ "Aviva Premiership Rugby - Saracens". web page. Premier Rugby. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ↑ http://www.denverbarbarians.com/club-news/latest-news/372?tmpl=component&print=1&page=
- ↑
- ↑ "Eagles Abroad: Weekend Review". Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ Milham, Simon. "Saracens forward Smith hopes to land NFL deal". Daily Mail (London).
- ↑ "Tight end guru sees big things ahead for Hayden Smith". National Football Post.
- ↑ Cimini, Rich (3 April 2012). "Rugby star Hayden Smith joins Jets". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ↑ Lange, Randy (31 August 2012). "Final 7 Cuts Announced, Roster’s Now at 53". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ↑ Jets Media Relations Department (1 September 2012). "Jets Announce Roster, Practice Squad Moves". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ Jets Media Relations Department (27 October 2012). "Hayden Smith Promoted to the Active Roster". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ↑ Cimini, Rich (27 August 2013). "Geno Smith could sit for preseason finale". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
External links
- USA Rugby bio
- Hayden Smith on ESPN Scrum.com
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