Colorado native Chris Baumann played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2024. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Baumann’s career as a professional player has taken him all over the world. He played with East Kilbride in Scotland, as well as Yokohama Country and Athletic Club in Japan and the famous Randwick Galloping Green in Australia. He returned to the USA in 2014, playing with the New York Athletic Club before travelling to South America on tour with the USA Selects. He made his full test debut for the USA as Eagle #464 in July 2015 against Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup. He represented the USA at the Rugby World Cup in England in 2015, and has earned 25 caps to date with his most recent cap for the USA coming against Canada in June 2018.

Baumann represented the Denver Stampede in the short-lived PRO Rugby competition (the spiritual predecessor to MLR), before heading to New Zealand to play with the Welllington Lions in the Mitre 10 (now the NPC). The following year, 2017, Baumann returned to the UK to play with the Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership, earning a handful of caps before returning to the USA once again, playing with the Austin Blacks between 2017-2020.

Baumann has played with the San Diego Legion for the last 4 MLR seasons, earning 46 caps (11 starts) and scoring 2 tries through the end of the Legion’s record breaking 2023 season in which they advanced to the MLR Championship Final, falling 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks in Chicago. On 23rd December 2023, the Legion announced the return of then-36yo Chris Baumann for the 2024 MLR season, in which he will hope to earn his 50th cap in the competition.

achievements

• MLR Runner-Up: 2023 (San Diego Legion)
• MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 5