Tyrese Johnson-Fisher is a professional rugby player from England, who has had a brief but spectacular stint in the US football arena, too. He has an excellent record with the rugby clubs 'Oakham' and the 'Leicester Tigers Academy.' Tyrese broke the internet when the ‘Rugby Football Union' (RFU) published a video on 'YouTube,' showing him score a streak of tries for the 'Oakham' under-15 team. The video not only managed to grab the attention of English rugby fans but also attracted a committee of football selectors in the US. Tyrese had always dreamt of playing for the 'National Football League’ (NFL). Thus, before he ventured into the under-18 rugby team, Tyrese moved to the US to make a career in ‘NFL’ and successfully secured a place on the 'Coastal Carolina University' team, as a running back. He is the first-ever non-American player to be selected as one of the 100 best high-school players in the world. However, the speed he has displayed on the football field has evolved on the sprinting tracks. A prolific sprinter, Tyrese has been the third-fastest player of his age at the under-17 level in the country. Tyrese has now resumed his rugby career and has been signed under the 'Bristol Bears.'
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Rise to Fame
Tyrese had competed for 'Oakham' and the 'Croydon Harriers,' which are renowned athletic clubs in his hometown. He rose to prominence after a streaming company captured his finest rugby skills and published a video on 'YouTube.' The video was watched by over two million viewers. In March 2015, he scored four spectacular tries for the under-15 team of 'Oakham School,' against 'Bishop Wordsworth,' during the 'NatWest Schools Cup.' He later played for the 'Leicester Tigers Academy' under-18 team, as a winger. He displayed his sheer brilliance there, too.
With 'Oakham,' Tyrese toured all over South Africa, achieving impressive victories over local schools. With this level of performance, Tyrese was expected to prepare for the upcoming 'Premiership U18' league and other school-level competitions. Back then, everyone hoped Tyrese would try for the England under-18 selection, but he chose a completely different path, in a different nation altogether.
Despite achieving fame in rugby, Tyrese decided to take a break from the sport and pursue football instead. However, Tyrese also focused on sprinting, another sport he had been excelling in for several years.
At the age of 16, Tyrese recorded a win at the 60m 'National Indoor Finals.' He finished in just 6.89 seconds, representing the 'Croydon Harriers' (an athletic club based in Croydon, England). He also grabbed the third position in all of England in the under-17 100m sprint, which he finished in a record time of 10.73 seconds, to qualify for the 'Great Britain Juniors.' He is also a proficient long jumper. Tyrese’s compact physical frame (5 feet 10 inches, 194 pounds) not only helped him excel in sprinting but also earned him the running back position in his football team, something he had always dreamt of achieving.
Tyrese then moved to the US to make it big in the American football scene. However, his journey to participate in the sport was not easy, as opportunities were limited overseas. Tyrese happened to watch a match of the 'Elite 200 Camp' in Troisdorf, Germany. This encouraged him to experiment with football with further determination. He then mailed a few footages of his rugby skills, including the viral 'YouTube' video, to the organizers of that camp. The footages were then relayed to the 'Under Armour' selection committee, which decided to give him a chance.
Tyrese’s skills earned him an official offer from ‘Coastal Carolina.' He also received football scholarship offers from ‘Texas’ and ‘Penn State.’ Tyrese also earned the admiration of his American teammates. However, the selectors took a little more time to decide on his position on the field. They wanted to use his sprinting talent on the football ground.
In January 2018, Tyrese became the first non-American player to play at the ‘Under Armour All-America High School Football Game,' a championship tournament featuring the best high-school football players in the US competing against one another. Interestingly, he was not only the first player based outside the US but he also played the sport for the first time in his life.
Tyrese was released from the college program after a year. He then moved back to England to resume his rugby career. Following this, he remained focused on attracting the attention of Pat Lam, who was the coach of one of the premier rugby teams, the 'Bristol Bears.'
In August 2019, Tyrese was officially signed by the 'Bristol Bears.' The director and head coach of the team, Pat Lam, acknowledged his exceptional skills and ''his hunger to succeed and grow as a player’’ that had made the selectors unanimously vote for him.
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Family & Personal Life
Tyrese was born on September 9, 1999, in England. He is primarily from Leicester. For about a year, before he resumed his rugby career (after his stint in the US football scene), Tyrese focused on his education at a US college. He is currently studying A-level business, economics, and history at ‘Oakham.’
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Trivia
On the first day he played football, Tyrese was sick. He had food poisoning and threw up several times. Despite this, he performed exceptionally well the following day and had one of his best-ever training sessions in any sport.
