Rupal Zaman, a former Redbird Esports Varsity Overwatch player, won the 2023 Overwatch League Grand Finals with his teammates on the professional Overwatch team, Florida Mayhem.
Florida Mayhem started off the playoffs strong, beating the Houston Outlaws 3-1 and sweeping the Dallas Fuel 3-0. After securing No. 1 in their group, they moved on to the semifinals where they took down Boston Uprising 3-1. This win earned them a spot in the grand finals where the Florida Mayhem dominated the Houston Outlaws winning the series 4-0. With this win, the Florida Mayhem were crowned the 2023 Overwatch League Champions.
“Winning the Overwatch League Grand finals felt like a culmination of many years of hard work. It made every day, every week of practicing, feel worth it,” Zaman said. “I’m most proud of my improvement as an individual player in the grand finals. In 2020, I started competing. In 2021, I won contenders. In 2022, I made it to the Overwatch League, and in 2023, I won the Overwatch League”.
Overwatch Glossary
Overwatch: Overwatch is a first-person action video game. Two teams of five players select from a large pool of unique characters to complete different objectives. Overwatch has different objectives for each of its in-game arenas. Overwatch 2 was released in October 2022 as a comprehensive update to the original game, which was first launched in 2016. Since release, Overwatch has been a staple of collegiate esports programs.
Overwatch League: The Overwatch League is an international professional esports league comprising of city-based teams that feature the best Overwatch players in the world. This league is produced by the developer of Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment. There are currently two conferences comprising of 19 teams based on locations: East and West.
Contenders: Overwatch Contenders is a semi-pro tournament system for players to develop their skills and be scouted by the Overwatch League with a structured competitive environment. Many consider participating in contenders a pre-requisite to joining professional Overwatch.
Flex Support: a type of support hero whose primary tasks include debuffing enemies, buffing allies, applying damage pressure, and providing healing, particularly to tank heroes. Flex Supports are typically more mechanically demanding, requiring a good understanding and timely execution of their abilities for maximum impact.
During his time at Illinois State University, Zaman played flex support for the Redbirds and helped Illinois State secure first place in the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup and a fourth-place finish in the 2022 Overwatch Collegiate Championship. Zaman joins nine other Redbirds who have received opportunities at the professional level of Overwatch.
“My time at ISU helped me develop the social skills that I’d need to bond with Korean teammates who don’t speak English at a fluent level,” Zaman said.
“A lot of students came to Redbird Esports to get that one missing link they needed to go pro,” said Megan Lomonof, former Overwatch head coach for Redbird Esports. “Rupal came in with the whole package though—a history of an amazing work ethic, a humble mindset, and the ability to be a consummate teammate.
“Having worked with Rupal, one of the things that stood out was his balance of constantly evaluating his own gameplay while also being able to say what his teammates needed to hear from him. He brought great human qualities to the team in addition to an amazing skill set. He proved it all matters.”
Just days after winning the Grand Finals, Zaman proceeded to secure Rank 1 on the leaderboard. In North America, there are over 20 million who play Overwatch on a monthly basis.
Zaman’s next competition is on October 29, where he will represent the United States in the 2023 Overwatch World Cup Group Stage. Playoffs begin November 3, where teams compete before a live audience at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
