Paul Rabil (born December 14, 1985), is an American former professional

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

player and co-founder of the

Premier Lacrosse League Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is an American professional field lacrosse league, composed of 8 teams. The league's inaugural season debuted on June 1, 2019, and included a 14-week tour-based schedule taking place in 12 major-market cities. The le ...

. He played for the

Cannons Lacrosse Club The Cannons Lacrosse Club are a professional men's field lacrosse team in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) . Formerly based in Boston, Massachusetts, they played in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as the Boston Cannons from their inaugural 2001 sea ...

and

Atlas Lacrosse Club The Atlas Lacrosse Club is a professional men's field lacrosse team in Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Atlas are one of the six founding members of the PLL for the 2019 season. Roster Source: (C): Captain Coaching staff * Head Coach – St ...

of the Premier Lacrosse League, as well as the Boston Cannons and the

New York Lizards The New York Lizards, originally the Long Island Lizards, were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) team based in Hempstead, New York, located on Long Island. They are original members of the MLL. They lost the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to ...

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...

and the San Jose/Washington Stealth and Philadelphia Wings of the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United Stat ...

Youth

Rabil was born in

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, ...

. He started playing lacrosse at the age of 12. He attended

Watkins Mill High School Watkins Mill High School is located in Gaithersburg, an incorporated city in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is named after the Watkins family, who owned a mill on the property. The school's colors are orange and blue. Watkins Mill is h ...

Montgomery Village, Maryland Montgomery Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and a northern suburb of Washington, D.C. It is a large, planned suburban community, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s just outside Gaithers ...

, then went on to graduate from

DeMatha Catholic High School DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington ...

Hyattsville, Maryland Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States Census. History Before Europeans reached the area, the upper ...

. He then played collegiate lacrosse at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

MLL career

Rabil was selected 1st overall by the Boston Cannons in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft. That year, he also competed in the MLL All-Star Game. In 2009, Rabil was named the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year. In 2010, Rabil competed in his third consecutive All-Star team and was named First-Team All-Pro. In 2011, Rabil was named the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year for the second time. He also won the MLL Bud Light Skills Competition in 2011, making him the first player to have won both the Skills Competition and the MLL Fastest Shot competition. Many have named him the best lacrosse player in the world. In 2012, Rabil was declared the MLL Offensive Player of the Year for the third time, tying the league record for most season-ending awards by a player. He also set the single-season points record (72) while playing midfield for the Boston Cannons. In 2014, Rabil was named to his seventh consecutive All-Star team and named MLL First-Team All-Pro for the sixth consecutive year. On January 5, 2015, Rabil was traded to the

, along with fellow midfielder Mike Stone for veteran

Max Seibald Maxwell Oren Seibald (born August 14, 1987) is a former professional lacrosse player for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse. He played midfield position. He graduated in 2009 from Cornell University. He is a former Tewaaraton Award winn ...

and draft picks. Rabil played in and started 12 out of the 14 regular-season games. He had 24 goals, 15 assists, and 3 2-point goals in the regular season. On August 1, 2015, Rabil had two goals and two assists in a semifinal playoff game against the Boston Cannons. New York would win in overtime 16–15. On August 8, 2015, Rabil had 3 goals and 3 assists as the Lizards defeated the

Rochester Rattlers Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom * Rochester, Kent **City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area **History of Rochester, Kent **HM Prison R ...

15–12 in the MLL Steinfeld Cup Championship game. This made Paul Rabil a 2 time Steinfeld Cup Champion as he finished off the season with a total of 29 goals and 20 assists. He was named the Coca-Cola Player of the Game MVP of the championship.

NLL career

Rabil was drafted second overall in the 2008

National Lacrosse League entry draft The National Lacrosse League entry draft is an annual event where the general managers of National Lacrosse League teams choose eligible players for their rosters from US college programs and Canada's junior lacrosse system. A player is deemed el ...

. Paul was a part of the 2010

Washington Stealth The Washington Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from the 2010 NLL season through the 2013 NLL season. They were based in Everett (part of the Seattle metropolitan are ...

Champion's Cup The National Lacrosse League Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champions of the National Lacrosse League. Prior to 2018, the league awarded the Champions Cup. Winners Most Valuable Players All-time Finals appearances since leagu ...

team, defeating the

Toronto Rock The Toronto Rock are a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. ...

. Paul scored two goals in the championship game. In 2010, Rabil set the Washington Stealth team record for loose balls in a season, snagging 153 in 16

games. In January 2012, Rabil was selected to his second consecutive

All-Star game. Since entering the NLL, he has been selected to every All-Star game in each season he has played. In February 2012, Rabil was traded to the

Edmonton Rush The Edmonton Rush were a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) that played from 2006 NLL season to 2015. The team announced on July 20, 2015, that they would be relocating to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for the 2016 se ...

in exchange for

Athan Iannucci Athan Iannucci (born April 15, 1982) is a professional lacrosse player. He played collegiate lacrosse at Hofstra University. Iannucci played professional lacrosse for the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League. He was a member of the n ...

, but subsequently refused to report to the Rush. He was placed on the hold-out list and did not play the rest of the 2012 season. On July 27, 2012, Rabil was traded to the

Rochester Knighthawks The Rochester Knighthawks (also known as the K-Hawks) are a professional box lacrosse team in the North Division of the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks are ow ...

for Jarrett Davis. After he did not report to training camp, he was traded along with three other players to the Philadelphia Wings for

Dan Dawson Dan Dawson (born December 11, 1981) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League, Brampton Excelsiors (MSL) of Major Series Lacrosse, and is currently a free agent in Major League Lacrosse. Daws ...

, Paul Dawson, and a first round draft pick. Rabil has not played in the NLL since 2013.

Premier Lacrosse League Founder

Paul Rabil and his brother, Mike Rabil, founded the PLL with known investors

The Chernin Group TCG Capital Management, LP, Doing business as, d/b/a as TCG or The Chernin Group, is an American investment advisory firm focused on private equity investments in the media, entertainment, technology, sports and consumer and digital media sectors. ...

and The Raine Group as direct competition to the MLL. Rabil, who was one of the only lacrosse players at the time to make a living from the sport, campaigned for higher wages, stock, and benefits to the players to try and make the game their full-time jobs. The league's inaugural season debuted June 1, 2019. He was selected to the league’s first All-Star game in Los Angeles, California and was showcased on SportCenter Top 10 for an impressive around-the-world pass. During his time in the PLL, Rabil was a midfielder for the

and the

. He announced his retirement from professional lacrosse in September 2021.

Personal life

Paul Rabil married Kelly Berger in January 2014. They divorced in 2017. Rabil was in a relationship with actress

Eiza González Eiza González Reyna (born 30 January 1990) is a Mexican actress and singer. She gained popularity for her debut role as Lola Valente in the Mexican musical telenovela ''Lola, érase una vez'' (2007–2008) and later starred in the lead role of ...

before they split in 2021.

Awards and achievements

High school

*2002

Washington Catholic Athletic Conference The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) is a major high school athletic league for boys, girls, and co-ed Catholic high schools of the Archdiocese of Washington & Diocese of Arlington Schools located in the Washington Metropolitan Are ...

Champion (

) *2003

Champion (

) *2003 High School

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

*2004 ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''s Player of the Year *2003 ''

''s First-Team *2004

Champion (

) *2004 High School

*2000 Elementary School (Christ the King)

College

*2005 USILA Third Team All-American *

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Winner (

Johns Hopkins Blue Jays The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays are the 24 intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the NCAA Division III, except for their lacrosse teams, which compete in Division I. T ...

) *2006 USILA First Team All-American *2007 USILA First Team All-American *2008 USILA First Team All-American * 2007 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Winner (

)

International

*2010

World Lacrosse Championship The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years. The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as a ...

Best Midfielder *2010 World Lacrosse Championship All-Tournament Team *2010 World Lacrosse Championship MVP *2010 World Lacrosse Championship Winner United States of America *2014 World Lacrosse Championship FIL Best Midfielder *2014 World Lacrosse Championship All-Tournament Team *2018 World Lacrosse Championship All-Tournament Team

Statistics

Rabil previously held the record for the world's fastest lacrosse shot at 111 mph. This was later broken by Zak Dorn at a competition in 2014.

PLL

NLL

Reference:

MLL

NCAA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabil, Paul People from Gaithersburg, Maryland Philadelphia Wings players Sportspeople from Maryland Washington Stealth players American people of Middle Eastern descent 1985 births Living people Premier Lacrosse League Premier Lacrosse League players DeMatha Catholic High School alumni Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse players