Hounds Acquire All-Pro Back Mark O’Keeffe

Chicago, I.L.- The Chicago Hounds have acquired center Mark O’Keeffe for the 2023 Major League Rugby season, the club announced Friday. The team drafted the Dublin-born back in the MLR expansion draft held earlier this year.

O’Keeffe joins the Hounds after spending the 2022 season with the Gilgronis, helping Austin to a 12-4 record and a +246 point differential. He appeared in 14 contests with 14 starts, posting just under 1,000 minutes. He earned first-team All-Pro honors, recording 111 carries for 1200 meters gained (10.8 meters per carry) with eight tries, three of which were full seven-point scores.

In 2021, O’Keeffe earned second-team All-Pro honors with Rugby Atlanta, helping the “Rattlers” to an MLR Championship game appearance against the Los Angeles Giltinis. He appeared in 13 contests with 11 starts and scored seven tries and had 82 carries for 903 meters (11 meters per carry).

In 2020, his second year with New York, he made four appearances with three starts. As an MLR rookie in 2019, O’Keeffe debuted for New York in Week Four. He helped lead them to a playoff appearance, a last-second loss at San Diego, in his 14 matches with 13 starts. He recorded 959 meters on his 93 carries and scored four tries while leading the team with 11 broken tackles.