It’s not for the faint of heart, but it sure is perfect for Kaleb Geiger. A year-and-a-half after diving into an unfamiliar sport, Geiger celebrated a Major League Rugby championship alongside his Rugby New York teammates. That sentence would have sounded preposterous just a short time ago for Geiger, who had been training for military service.
A native of Sedalia, Colo., Geiger is fond of his home state, as well as the plains of Nebraska, where he spent six (yes, six) years as a student-athlete at Concordia. Never would he have guessed that he would wind up in the Big Apple, playing rugby.
Says Geiger, “I love Nebraska and I love the open space of Colorado. When you’re used to seeing nothing but green and you go to New York and all you see is people and concrete, you can get a little claustrophobic. Thankfully New York is a great organization where culture is a big part of it. They involve your family and they do a great job accommodating everyone.”
The physicality of Geiger is certainly known to anyone who watched him play for either the Concordia baseball or football teams. Listed at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, Geiger packs the type of punch that makes him a terror on the rugby field. As the Rugby New York website states, “Kaleb brings his destructive ball running and physical defense to the New York front row.” Geiger traded in his former spots at first base and defensive line for a role as a “hooker.” Yes, that’s what the position is called in rugby.
It didn’t take long for Geiger’s physical style to make waves on social media as the American Raptors tweeted videos in September 2021 of Geiger bowling over helpless defenders. Geiger proved to be a quick study for the developmental American Raptors, who reside in Glendale, Colo., not far from Geiger’s hometown. It wasn’t long before Geiger moved to Major League Rugby for an opportunity with Rugby New York for the 2022 season.
It all happened so quickly after Geiger happened to run into a recruiter for the American Raptors in January 2021. Totally unplanned, Geiger and the recruiter met at the same establishment in Sedalia on a night that would change the course of Geiger’s professional life.
“He saw my physique or whatever and asked if I would be interested in playing rugby,” Geiger said. “That was last January so I’ve been playing rugby since then. I thought he was messing with me. We exchanged information. It sounds fishy when someone approaches you at a bar like that. I got in touch with him and I did some research. The American Raptors are scouring the country for NFL guys who didn’t quite make it or ex-college football players and crossing them over to rugby. By the grace of God, this guy found me in the bar.”
A week later, Geiger was trying out for the team – and he made it. With the military out of the picture, at least for the time being, the opportunity seemed well-suited for Geiger. He had been back home working as a logger for his father. He remained in great shape after having played his final season of college football in 2019.
By that point, Geiger had lived through the full college experience. He played four years of baseball and was named First Team All-GPAC in 2016 after he batted .347. He then transitioned to football, suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason of 2018 and made the choice to return for one final year of college athletics. Geiger played regularly on the defensive line in 2019 and notched 29 tackles.
Toughness was never a question in regards to Geiger, who now finds himself in a sport that is about as tough as it gets. Rugby is a full-contact sport without the helmets or pads. The only protection most players wear is a mouth guard, and it’s not uncommon for players to get their bells rung and be forced to the sideline. Geiger never feared the risks. He simply had to learn the game.
“Mostly it’s just learning the rules,” Geiger said of the adjustment. “I had the football background so the physical stuff came natural. Everybody in rugby has to be able to pass and catch. In football, o-linemen and d-linemen don’t catch very well because they never touch the ball. With rugby, everybody has to be able to catch and pass. The baseball side of things helped with hand-eye coordination in catching passes while the physicality part came from my wrestling and football background. I have been knocked out already, so you have to adjust your tackling. You’re exposed.”
Geiger hopes to help grow Major League Rugby, which just completed its fifth season of competition in the United States. Currently, the league features a seven-team Western Conference and a six-team Eastern Conference. Rugby New York defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 30-15, in this season’s championship final, which was played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on June 25. A crowd of several thousand added to the atmosphere on a 90-degree day.
Geiger jokes that the ensuing party lasted several days. He reveled in the joy of a championship that was shared alongside teammates from all over the world. From January through June, they lived in the same New York City apartment complex (rent is paid by Rugby New York) and grew close together. As the new guy on the scene, Geiger made his mark and played in 16 of the 18 games – he bounced back quickly after being knocked out of a match. Part of his role as a hooker is to put himself in harm’s way in the middle of scrums.
Geiger isn’t one to back down. Said Geiger of the physical toll, “Training is a lot different. You can’t sub in and out. If you start the game, you’re going to play as long as you can – and there are no timeouts. It’s an 80-minute running clock. The amount of running we have to do is extreme. It’s far more than football. When it comes to contact, you have to limit it outside of matches. When we go contact in training, it’s more controlled to try to prevent injuries as much as possible.”
The sport’s not for everybody, but Geiger wishes more football-minded Americans would take up rugby. He even singled out recent Concordia football players Caydren Cox and Payton Stevens as young men who would be perfect for rugby. Perhaps ambassadors such as Geiger will help the sport extend its reach within the U.S.
Geiger himself knew almost nothing of the sport just a couple of years ago. As he explains how he got here on a sweltering mid-July day in Colorado, Geiger is thankful for how events have transpired. Concordia played a role in that journey. Says Geiger, “I’m very thankful for the people at Concordia, my family, friends, coaches and God for putting me on this path. We’re going to run with it and see what happens.”
During the heat of July, Geiger has toiled alongside a friend who is a contractor. Come August, he expects to train and work out with the American Raptors in hopes of gearing up for the 2023 season of Major League Rugby. Another major life event looms in September when Geiger will marry former Concordia Softball player Dalaney Nance.
It’s safe to say it’s a whirlwind time in the life of Kaleb Geiger. It’s a life that has changed course with unexpected twists and turns. That’s just fine with the rough and tumble Geiger, a hunter, a fisherman, a logger, a weight room warrior and a professional rugby player. There’s no telling what comes next.
As Geiger says, “A year-and-a-half ago, I knew nothing about rugby. I really didn’t have an interest in playing it until it fell into my lap. I’m running with it, and Lord willing, I’m going to keep running with it.”
