Former NFL, BYU running back Paul Lasike retires from professional rugby

The Utah Warriors had a lot to celebrate Saturday after clinching the No. 1 seed in Major League Rugby’s Western Conference and securing a home playoff game next week in pursuit of their first-ever championship.

But the evening was bittersweet as Utah’s rugby community bid farewell to one of its biggest ambassadors.

Paul Lasike stood at the center of the pitch at Zions Bank Stadium with his family by his side as the Warriors celebrated his rugby playing career ahead of his retirement.

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“Paul Lasike is hands down the greatest athlete that’s come from the state of Utah. No argument on my side,” Warriors CEO Kimball Kjar told the crowd that stuck around after the match to honor Lasike, a Utah rugby legend.

The Warriors gifted Lasike a framed rugby shirt and banner featuring photos of his career before Wayne Tarawhiti, the team’s director of players and pathway, led the Warriors in a haka to celebrate Lasike.

Lasike then embraced his family and teammates before a large line of fans approached the star athlete for a photo, autograph, handshake or thank you, and Lasike didn’t turn anyone away.

The fans kept coming even after the postgame fireworks show had started.

“Utah has given me so much, and to finish up here is special,” Lasike told the Deseret News.

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Paul Lasike’s Utah rugby legacy

Lasike’s rugby journey in Utah began his senior year of high school when he left his home country of New Zealand to play for Highland Rugby, where he won a national championship.

Lasike then played four seasons at BYU, where he won four more national titles, including the program’s first.

When he returned from his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his sophomore season, he was encouraged by one of the football team’s strength and conditioning coaches to try out for the team as a walk-on.

Lasike took the coach’s advice and made the team as a running back, earning a scholarship after his first season.

He played football for three seasons at BYU and finished his career with 1,165 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns.

“I remember wanting to give up so many times, but I’m glad I stuck with it,” he previously told the Deseret News.

Lasike’s football success at BYU led to a three-year career in the NFL, including a training camp with the Arizona Cardinals and the remainder with the Chicago Bears.

With fullbacks being phased out of the NFL, Lasike closed the football chapter of his career and returned to his rugby roots in 2018 when Kjar reached out to him about the opportunity to play for Utah’s new professional rugby team in the U.S.’s new rugby league, Major League Rugby.

Lasike became the Warriors’ first signing for their inaugural season, which earned him the title of “Warrior No. 1.”

“Paul Lasike and his family have given much to the Utah Warriors, and I don’t think people fully comprehend exactly how great of a human being but also an athlete this man is,” Kjar said.

But before he even played in a game for Utah, USA Rugby came calling.

Lasike made his debut for the Eagles in February 2018 and earned 22 caps with the team, including as a member of U.S.’s roster for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In his seven starts for the Warriors in 2018, Lasike scored one try and recorded 74 tackles and 807 meters gained, the third-most in the league, according to NAR Stats.

Following his first season with the Warriors, another rugby door opened for Lasike. He left MLR and Utah for London and Premiership Rugby’s Harlequins, where he played for four years and won the Premiership in 2021.

In 2022, Lasike returned to Utah and the Warriors and has been with the team ever since.

The Warriors and the sport of rugby in Utah have come a long way since Lasike first joined the team eight years ago.

“It’s been awesome to see the growth and stuff. That’s been the coolest thing. We would come here, and maybe a couple 100 people come out year one, and so to see thousands of people come out and support us, it’s been really cool to see the growth. So it’s a special place, a special club with special people in it,” Lasike said.

What’s next for Paul Lasike?

Retirement comes for every athlete whether they’re ready or not. For Lasike, it was a subject that had been on his mind for years, and this year felt like the right time.

“It’s been floating around the last couple of years because of injuries and just not quite being able to do what I’ve been able to do athletically and (the) younger generation coming through,” he said. “I feel it’s right. I’m gonna miss it, but it’s the right thing.”

As the time for his retirement neared, Lasike and his family explored all of their options, one of which was the construction company he started, Warrior 1.

But then David Smyth, his old head coach at BYU, called.

Smyth, now the director of rugby at Southern Virginia University, had started the university’s rugby program in 2019 and wanted to know if his former player would like “to take over and try and build it,” Lasike said.

The opportunity felt like the right move for Lasike.

“I’ve done some construction, done other things here and there, but sport is my passion, and it’s something that I want to do. I want to stay close to rugby,” he said.

Lasike will take over the team this fall as it embarks on a new chapter with him at the helm.

Up next, the Warriors will play in the conference semifinals on Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium. Fans can join the ticket waitlist for free by signing up on the team’s website.