Watch
Listen
Overview
The President of the United States Rugby Foundation, Brian Vizard, speaks with women's rugby legend Nancy Fitz, one of USA Rugby's greatest locks. Discover Fitz's journey from Dartmouth College basketball star to dominating the women's rugby pitch with the DC Furies and USA Women's Eagles. Learn about her impressive 21-cap international career, including two Women's Rugby World Cups and pioneering the USA's first Women's Eagles 7s Team. Hear about Fitz's transition to coaching and her current role as a USA and World Rugby Coach Instructor. This episode offers unique insights into the career of a true women's rugby icon and her ongoing impact on the sport.
Show Notes
1:03 - As we do with all of our guests, tell us a bit about your upbringing. Where did you grow up? What sports did you play as a kid?
1:47 - Well, in high school you excelled at basketball and cross country. Tell me about your high school sports days and some of those accomplishments you had.
2:46 - After high school, you went to Dartmouth College. Was that on a basketball scholarship?
3:08 - You had great success on the court at Dartmouth, and you helped lead the team to four Ivy League titles. Tell us about those glorious days for you and your teammates.
4:34 - It was at Dartmouth that you started playing rugby. Tell me about how that came to be.
6:20 - Well, now you found you had success on the basketball court. How did you fare in the college rugby pitch?
8:04 - So after Dartmouth, you relocated to Washington, DC, where you joined the DC Furies RFC. Were you looking to hook up with a rugby club and were there opportunities for you in basketball after your days at Dartmouth?
9:03 - Now, basketball's loss was rugby's gain, as you now excelled on the pitch. You won several individual awards and team titles during your 15 years with the Furies. What are some of your fondest memories with the Furies that stand out in your mind?
10:13 - In 1996, you made your debut with the Eagles. What do you remember about your first game with the red, white and blue?
10:33 - You had a six year run with the Eagles, earning 21 caps at second row. Was there an Eagles match or two that stand out above the rest?
11:51 - You played in 1998 and 2002 Rugby World Cups. Where were those tournaments played and which of the two was your favorite and why?
12:46 - Let's talk about that 98 final. Who'd you play in the final and what do you remember about that game?
13:31 - You played on the Eagles first sevens team in 1997, again in 1999. What did you like most about the sevens game? And was there a memory too that you remember from your time with the Eagle Sevens?
15:10 - As your playing career was winding down, you started to coach. Did you know that you were going to go into coaching after playing or did that. How did that first coaching opportunity come about?
16:01 - Well, you coached a number of teams, the Furies, Georgetown, the Naval Academy, Nova mid Atlantic Capitol all Stars. I guess that the first thing that comes to mind is how did you find the time to coach all those teams? And hopefully they were spaced out over a period of time.
17:57 - And while you were coaching, you took up refereeing club, college, and high school games in the Potomac area. What or who inspired you to give back to the game with a whistle?
19:05 - Now, you currently are a USA and world rugby coach, instructor and course leader. Tell me about what you do in those roles and how did those opportunities come about?
20:46 - In 2023, just last year. You're one of the first recipients of the Kathy Flores lifetime achievement award. You now join Kathy in the US Rugby hall of Fame. What did winning that award mean to you?
21:47 - And Nancy, you're a player, a coach, a referee, instructor, course leader. Of all your rugby memories and accomplishments, is there one or two that stand above the rest?
23:10 - What is being selected to the US Rugby hall of Fame mean to you?
Wrap Up
The podcast explored Nancy Fitz's remarkable rugby journey, tracing her transition from basketball to rugby and highlighting her significant career achievements. It covered Fitz's playing career highlights, her subsequent roles in coaching and refereeing, and her work as an instructor. The discussion also touched on the various recognitions Fitz has received throughout her career. The conversation painted a compelling picture of Fitz's evolution from a successful high school athlete to a Hall of Fame inductee, emphasizing her profound impact on the rugby community as both a player and a coach.
