Denis Shanagher
2024
Inductee
Born and raised in San Francisco, Denis Shanagher is the son of the late Denis Shanagher, Sr., who captained the Bective Rangers to the 1955 Leinster Cup title prior to emigrating to the United States, where he became an influential referee, rugby administrator (first USA Board of Directors) and US Rugby Hall of Famer.
Denis Jr. excelled at football in high school and went on to Stanford University to play football in 1974. At Stanford, he found rugby as his true passion, and never looked back.
A natural-born center and leader, Shanagher captained Stanford University in varsity rugby from 1974 to 1978. His club rugby was with the San Francisco RFC from 1978 to 1980 and the then mighty BATS (Bay Area Touring Side) throughout the 1980s. Denis played rep side for the Northern California Pelicans and Pacific Coast Grizzlies. His Grizzlies teams won the USA Rugby Territorial Championships in 1977, 1979, 1981 – 85, and they also beat Italy’s National Team in 1979. Denis vice-captained the Grizzlies on their successful tours to New Zealand in 1984 and Argentina in 1986.
Shanagher quickly rose to become a member of the USA Eagle 15s, starting with the test match against the All Blacks in 1980. Over the ensuing seven years, he earned 9 caps and participated in the 1987 inaugural Rugby World Cup. His Eagle teams toured Australia in 1983, Japan in 1985 (undefeated), and Australia and Wales in 1987. An accomplished 7’s player as well, he was a member of the first USA Eagles 7s team in 1981 and for the first 6 years they played at the Hong Kong 7s, including serving as Captain in 1983 and 1984. Denis earned 29 7s caps from 1981 to 1986 and his tenure with the Eagle 7s includes a Plate Championship at the 1986 Hong Kong 7s. Denis was also selected to the USA Cougars 7s teams in 1984 to 1986 that included competing in the Gala 7s, Melrose 7s and London Wasp 7s tournaments. In both 7s and 15s, Denis was the team player whose ability to read the game, and his passing skills, made all his teammates better performers.
Like his father, Denis has committed to giving back to the game and his actions speak louder than just words. He is the Founder and Board Member of the Stanford Rugby Foundation and has been involved since 1989. As the current Chairperson of the Board, he is responsible for overall management of the fund-raising process and operation of the Stanford Men's and Women's rugby programs. He has helped the Foundation raise enough funds to endow the rugby programs in perpetuity, along with funds to build a field with lights, a clubhouse, locker rooms and stands. Denis has been a Director with the US Rugby Foundation since 2013 and serves on its Finance and Pathways Committees and is the Co-Chair of the Foundation’s Shanagher-Morrison Referee Development Fund.
Most notably, Denis has served on the USA Rugby Board of Directors from late 2020 to the present. As Chair of the Audit, Risk & Finance Committee, he is responsible for financial health and funding of USA Rugby in general, and the High Performance Program in particular. Thankfully, Denis has overseen the return of USA Rugby to financial health and stability.
Denis is also a member of the High Performance Joint Management Group with World Rugby and actively involved in the upcoming 2031 World Rugby Cup in the USA. “Denis is in the thick of it and regularly meeting with the CEO of World Rugby and other World Rugby representatives. Denis is taking a low profile in all of this because he is an achiever, not a talker. No one has worked harder or done more recently to advance the game of rugby in the United States,” states Brad Andrews, past US Eagle and former Chairman of the US Rugby Foundation.
Denis lives with his wife, Julie, in San Francisco. They have a son, Denis, and daughter, Katie. A graduate of UC Hastings College of Law (1981), he is a partner with Duane Morris LLP where he has been practicing law for over 40 years, specializing in real estate, land use, construction, and general business litigation.