The USA has a knack for producing breakout stars early and often during international sports competitions, and the 2024 Olympics are no exception.
The latest is Perry Baker, who enjoyed his breakout before the opening ceremony even began.
The 38-year-old rugby sevens player helped lead Team USA to a 33-17 win over Uruguay to keep their medal hopes alive. He scored an Olympic-record four tries during the game, including one that saw him use his speed to traverse the entire field.
NFL fans will watch that play and wonder whether Baker could have been an asset to the right organization. The time for that has likely passed, but before his rugby career, Baker had NFL aspirations.
Here's what to know about the USA's rugby star as he tries to help lead the team to the gold medal in the sport for the first time since 1924.
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Who is Perry Baker?
Baker is a 38-year-old rugby player competing for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. He won the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and has established himself as a scoring threat thanks largely to his speed.
Baker has scored 293 tries during his career, good for the second-most in world history. He will look to break the 300 mark at the 2024 Olympics, and his four-try game against Uruguay will help him draw closer to that total.
That said, Baker didn't exactly grow up dreaming of playing rugby. He wanted to play in the NFL, but it looked like it would be a long shot for the Div. II product to get a chance at the professional level.
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Where did Perry Baker go to college?
Baker attended Fairmont State University, a Div. II school located in West Virginia. He played football there while earning a degree in criminal justice.
Baker worked as a receiver for the Falcons, totaling 90 receptions for 1,552 yards and 19 touchdowns during his career. He was twice named All-Conference nods during his career, though it wasn't enough to put him on the radar of many NFL teams.
Still, Baker believed he could eventually get to the NFL. Eventually, he did earn a shot to prove himself, though it was cut short by an injury.
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Perry Baker NFL career
Baker signed with the Eagles in July 2011 — more than a year after he graduated from Fairmount State in 2010.
However, Baker's time with the Eagles was short-lived. The team discovered Baker had a torn meniscus upon his signing. That led the team to release him with a failed physical designation.
Baker acknowledged that was one of the most difficult moments of his life in an interview with NCAA.org .
"I never thought anything about anything else but football. I knew I could play in the NFL. I knew that was all I ever wanted. I never had a Plan B, backup, any of that," Baker said. "Then I faced adversity really hard when I got cut from the Eagles and I failed my physical from my torn meniscus."
Baker eventually found a home for himself. He played a couple of seasons with the Arena Football League's Pittsburgh Power before switching to rugby at the behest of coaches from the Tiger Rugby Academy.
Baker became inspired by the potential opportunity to become an Olympian and compete for a gold medal while learning the game of rugby. Now, he is one of the sport's biggest stars at the 2024 Olympics and hopes to carry the United States to its first rugby medal in a century.
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