Florida prop James ‘Doc’ Irey played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2024. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Irey enlisted in the US Navy straight out of high school in 2005, and is still a serving US Navy Corpsman. Irey has played rugby with the Norfolk Blues between 2013-2018, and has played with New Orleans RFC since 2019, becoming head coach in 2022. He has also played with the All Navy Sevens team at Rugbytown Sevens and the Combined Sea Services team between 2017-2019.

Irey joined the NOLA Gold MLR side in 2019 but did not enter a match. He earned his MLR debut off the bench during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Across his 5 MLR seasons, he has earned 24 appearances (3 starts) including a high of 9 in 2024 at the age of 37. He was named to the MLR Team of the Week during RD 4 of the 2024 season, a rare selection for a non-starting player as he was brought on early due to injury.

achievements

• MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 4