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Overview
This week on the With You! Rugby Podcast, the President of the United States Rugby Foundation, Brian Vizard, spoke with Chris O’Brien, San Diego State alumni, former Old Blues player, former Eagles Sevens and 15s player, and a 2023 US Rugby Hall of Fame inductee about his career, personal experiences and more. O’Brien grew up in Menlo Park California where he played everything from swimming to lacrosse to football to jet skiing. O’Brien continued his football career vigorously in college playing for a Junior College in Los Altos, then for San Diego State on the Aztecs. Learn how, out of his many sports, Chris O’Brien dove into rugby and more with the latest episode of With You! Rugby Podcast.
Show Notes
1:09Where are you talking to us from today?
1:22Where'd you grow up? What sports did you play as a kid?
2:28How'd you get introduced to the sport of rugby?
3:21You were a place kicker for the San Diego State Aztecs football team from 1984 to 85. Did you get a scholarship there? Were you a walk-on? Tell us about how you got the kicking job there.
4:45You also played rugby at San Diego State, any highlights from your rugby-playing days with the Aztecs?
6:37You got a couple of looks from some NFL teams. Tell us about those tryouts and did you have dreams of playing in the NFL?
8:44What are some of your favorite memories of your days with the Blues?
10:51both 15s and sevenths, what were some of your memorable moments, from those days, with the Grizzlies, and the Eagles.
12:29You remember the Eagles at the 91 Rugby World Cup. Does any memory stand out from that tournament for you?
14:43You also remember the Eagles team at the first-ever sevens World Cup besides the cold weather. What do you remember about that? 93 7th World Cup at Edinburgh?
16:48After your playing days, you got into coaching rugby. Tell us about how that transition from playing to coaching happened.
18:47You went from assisting Jack at Cal to the head coaching job at Stanford, was that a big step up for you? And I'm sure with that came a lot more responsibility.
21:42You coach the team to their first high school national championship in 2018, How fun was it to coach those high school players and how rewarding was it to win that national championship?
23:57You had to gig with the Eagles coaching for several years, including the 2011-2015 Rugby World Cups. What was that experience in? and what were some of the fond memories from those years?
27:27What do you think of the 50/22 law? You like it?
27:54You've been with the head coach of the Cal Poly Rugby team, how did that job opening present itself to you? And how is that experience been so far?
31:08Yeah, but we're look gonna look in your past here a little bit. of all your rugby memories, is there one that stands out amongst the rest?
32:45Okay, of all your tours eagles are otherwise, which one stands out and why
36:01As the first brothers to be inducted into the US Ruby Hall of Fame. What is being selected to the Hall of Fame mean to you?
Wrap Up
In this episode of the With You! Rugby Podcast, we heard from Chris O’Brien about his experience as both a player and a coach, the difficulties of transitioning between the two, and the highs of his career and his lows. Come support Bob and the rest of the 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees this September 16, 2023.
