Nate Ebner, USA Eagle, New England Patriot, Super Bowl Winner, Free Jacks owner and all around USA sports ledgend talks about his journey from Rugby to Football and back again.

Nate Ebner is a versatile athlete, philanthropist, and entrepreneur with a career spanning multiple sports. A native of Ohio, Ebner’s athletic journey began in rugby, where he represented the U.S. Junior National Team at just 16. Transitioning to football, he walked onto the Ohio State Buckeyes as a special teams standout, earning a place in the NFL with the New England Patriots.

During his NFL career, Ebner won three Super Bowl titles and was a two-time All-Pro. In 2016, he made history by joining the U.S. Olympic Rugby Sevens team, becoming the first active NFL player to compete in the Games.

Ebner’s love for rugby didn’t stop there. Alongside former teammate Patrick Chung, he became a minority owner of the New England Free Jacks, helping build the team into back-to-back MLR champions. His leadership and passion extend beyond the field, promoting teamwork and the growth of rugby in the U.S.

Athletic Journey

Ebner’s connection to rugby began in his childhood, thanks to his father. He shared how playing at an early age helped him develop the instincts and IQ critical for competing internationally by age 16. Despite excelling in rugby, Ebner took a bold step, walking onto Ohio State’s football team. His hard work paid off, as he carved out a role on special teams and later joined the New England Patriots.

A Legacy of Resilience

Ebner’s dedication extends beyond the field, as he works to grow rugby’s influence in the U.S. and inspire the next generation of athletes. His partnership with Alex Magleby, the Free Jacks’ CEO and former U.S. Sevens coach, highlights his strategic commitment to the sport.
“This isn’t just about rugby—it’s about building a culture and community,” he said on the podcast, reflecting his broader vision for the Free Jacks.

a must listen

Ebner’s episode of Games with Names offers a rare glimpse into the mindset of an athlete who has succeeded at the highest levels in two vastly different sports. His stories of resilience, from overcoming personal tragedy to achieving his Olympic dream, resonate deeply.

For fans of rugby, football, or anyone inspired by extraordinary perseverance, this podcast is a must-listen. Nate Ebner’s journey serves as a testament to the power of dedication, teamwork, and love for the game.

Nate touches on some truly inspiring and emotional moments from his life that ultimately lead him to where he is today. 

Thank you Nate for Including the Free Jacks in your story! 

Video Featuring: NESN Interview with Patrick Chung (left) and Nate Ebner (Right)

Top Moments from the Games with Names Podcast. 

9. Early Introduction to Rugby

Ebner shared how his father introduced him to rugby at six years old, sparking a lifelong passion for the sport.

Julian Edelman:  So how did you get introduced to rugby? Because you think of Ohio and you think of football, you think of Ohio you think of Ohio State, you don’t think of rugby. Where does this rugby background come from Nate?

Nate Ebner: The junk man himself. My dad. He played football in high school and found his way to rugby and Minnesota just became a you know, 70s 80s rugby guy … So that’s why he played rugby. Yeah, and you know, he introduced me to the game at a young age … I was introduced to this game at 6 most American rugby players start 15-16 in high school at the earliest. So I played my whole life.

8. The Walk-On Journey

Ebner described walking onto Ohio State’s football team, where he transitioned from rugby to special teams with no prior football experience.

“I didn’t know anything—cover two, nickel base, nothing.”

7. Rugby Vs Football Fitness

Ebner compared the two sports’ physical demands, emphasizing rugby’s relentless nature.

“It’s like Formula 1—constant movement, no breaks.”

6. Rugby Vs Football Culture 

Julian Edelman: What could an NFL guy learn from rugby?

Nate Ebner: “I’d say just culturally It’s just like no ‘me guys’. like they’re just non-existent and the rugby world like the guys are always such good guys and the culture is so good and it’s such a team first mentality … in a team sport like rugby where there are guys that control the game But you know, I think you really understand a rugby it takes everybody to make a play … Yeah, so that that’s probably the biggest thing I take away from is how vastly different the cultures are from to pretty much team sports you know”

5. Getting back into the USA Eagles

Nate chats about his journey back to the Olympic Rugby Team and mentions the Free Jacks Success. 

Nate Ebner: “Yeah, so I knew some contacts, Alex Magleby. He’s CEO of the MLR Free Jacks, the MLR (Major League Rugby) team that me and Chung are with. Yeah You know, he was a sevens coach before” …  

Julian Edelman: My god, This is our third team owner. That’s right, baby Mark Cuban too

Nate Ebner: Back-to-back MLR champs, Yeah But anyways Mags was a coach before Mike Friday Mike Friday was the head coach when I was there and you know Mags put a call in to Mike saying Nate wants to come and there have been a number of NFL guys try to go play sevens.

4. Ring for a Medal?

Edelman asked Nate a question he had not been asked before. 

Julian Edelman: I got a quick one. Would you give up one Super Bowl trophy for a gold medal?

Nate Ebner: Yep. I’ve never been asked that. But that was a quick yes in my mind. I wanted that so bad, bro. And I thought we had the team to do it, and that we did. And we just didn’t get it done. 

3. What did Bill Say?

One of the podcast’s most compelling moments was Ebner recounting his decision to pursue the Olympics when rugby returned to the Games in 2016 and how he broke the news to Head Coach Bill Belichick.

“Bill said, ‘Go ahead, I know how much rugby means to you.’”

Nate Ebner: I’m like, so like rugby is in the Olympics and the USA qualified and you know, I feel like I gotta go do this and I was waiting for his response and right away, he was like … I know how much rugby means to you and you’ll be representing the country if you make it and you know that’d be great to go for it.

And I was just like, well, okay, and we hung up. But when I played in the Olympics and Bill had you guys stop training camp to watch me in the team room. 

2. Losing Dad and Moving away from Rugby

Ebner talks about how he broke the news that he wanted to give up rugby in order to play football the day before his father passed away. 

“This was the last conversation I actually had with my dad … and the next day he was murdered”

Nate Ebner: The last conversation I actually had with my dad … I was nervous about telling him. He introduced me to rugby. I’m going to be one of the best rugby players, blah, blah, blah. Now here I am about to tell him, you know, hey, I don’t want to, I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m going to go walk onto the football team on some pipe dream and you know, I broke that to him and kind of told him, you know, I want to do this because I want to go to the NFL and he was very receptive right away. 

He was like, you know, if you’re going to do this, do it with everything you have, no distractions. We’re not going to play rugby half the time and you know, you’re going to go all in with football and we’ll try to give everything you have and rugby will always be there if football doesn’t work out and the next day he was murdered at the junkyard.

1. The Most pivotal Moment of Nate’s Life

Nate reflects on how a conversation with his Mom, because the most pivotal moment in his life, leading to his first steps toward pursuing his NFL dream.

“I kind of woke up and I said, you know, f**k it. Let’s go.”

Nate Ebner: That was like the last conversation I had with him (Dad) and then obviously had a tough time with that. I dropped out for that winter quarter because I was struggling and just, I’ll go into it, but my mom was like the most pivotal moment of my life.

I remember I was sitting on the couch, just kind of zombied out, you know, dad’s gone and mom comes in and in tears and she’s just like, Nate, like you gotta, you gotta get up and go, like your dad would hate to see this ruin your life. You got to live a life you’d be proud of. And you know, she was crying saying that to me and you know … but for her to have the strength to say something to me that, you know, not necessarily what I wanted to hear … but what I needed, you know, she did that and that was the moment where I kind of woke up and I said, you know, f**k it. Let’s go. I need to, I need to do this thing out like, like we had talked about and then like literally a month later, I walked onto the football team at Ohio State.

Julian Edelman: Wow.

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