Dave Hodges

Dave Hodges was born on September 15th, 1968 in Long Beach, California. Hodges first encountered the game of rugby as he watched the Belmont Shore Rugby Club practice and play on the same field as his high school football team. Hodges enrolled at Occidental College to play football and later began his rugby career during his freshman year. While at Occidental, Hodges was a two-time, dual All-American in rugby and football.

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In 1995, Hodges continued his career with the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club and was a member of the 1996 National Championship team. From 1996-2004, Hodges was selected to play for the U.S.A. Rugby Men’s Eagles and became one of the most-capped Eagles in history, earning 53 international caps in the back row during an eight-year career. He was captain for more than half of the games he played in a U.S. jersey and was named U.S.A. Rugby Athlete of the Year in 2005.

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Hodges established himself as one of the most internationally recognized American players overseas, having had great success in his professional career in two stints with Llanelli Rugby Football Club and a one year stint with Bridgend Rugby Football Club. In 2001 and 2002, he was named Player of the Year for the Llanelli Scarlets.

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Hodges began his coaching career in 2005, as he was named the head coach for the U.S.A. Rugby Collegiate All-Americans, Assistant U.S. National Team Coach, High Performance Manager, and Game Development Officer for U.S.A. Rugby. Shortly after, Hodges became the head coach for the Denver Barbarians Rugby Club for the next two seasons.

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Dave is heavily involved in the rugby community and has served on the Board of Directors for the U.S.A. Rugby and an advocate for youth rugby development. Today, Hodges remains active in the rugby community as the general manager of the U.S.A. Men’s National Team, overseeing team logistics and operations for the program.