Jill Potter
2025
Inductee
Jill Potter's rugby journey began in 2005 at the University of New Mexico, where she quickly established herself as an exceptional talent. Born July 5, 1986, Potter had never played rugby before college, but within weeks of trying out for the USA U19 team, she earned a spot on the roster. Her meteoric rise continued as she progressed to the USA Rugby Women's U23 Team in 2006 and the USA Rugby Women's National Team in 2007.
As a Number 8, Potter earned 21 caps with the USA Eagles 15s from 2007-2014. She participated in multiple international tours, including the 2007 UK Tour (England), 2008 Nations Cup (England), 2009 Nations Cup (Canada), 2010 CanAm (Canada), and the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup in France. She served as captain for two years and two tournaments during her Eagles career.
In 2012, Potter transitioned to sevens rugby, where she would make her most significant mark on the international stage. As a prop, she accumulated approximately 60 caps with the USA Eagles 7s from 2012-2016. Her sevens achievements include winning a bronze medal at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, competing in the 2013-16 IRB/World Rugby Sevens Series, and most notably, captaining the USA team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where rugby sevens made its Olympic debut.
What makes Potter's career particularly remarkable is her extraordinary resilience in the face of devastating setbacks. In 2010, she broke her C4-C5 vertebrae in her neck during a test match in Canada, which kept her out of that year's Women's Rugby World Cup. After surgery and recovery, she returned to rugby and played in the 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup. Then in 2014, just as she was preparing for another World Cup, Potter was diagnosed with Stage III synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She underwent an intensive 6-8 month regimen of chemotherapy and radiation, yet remarkably returned to competitive rugby just one year later.
Potter was one of the first eight women's athletes to be contracted by USA Rugby, and as team captain, she led the USA Women's Sevens team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Her leadership and playing ability earned her recognition as Sevens Player of the Decade in a GRR fan poll.
Potter's coaching experience includes serving as an assistant coach for the University of New Mexico Women's Rugby Football Club in 2010. She also contributed to the sport as a referee, achieving Assistant Referee level for five World Cup matches and serving as an Assistant Referee at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.
Following her playing career, Potter created the RAN Leadership Development Scholarship program in 2018, designed to accelerate the global development of women in rugby and maximize the leadership potential of talented women. The scholarships provide women with a variety of opportunities including formal education, conferences, workshops, mentoring, secondments, and best practice study tours.
Currently living in Indianapolis, Indiana, Potter continues to be an advocate for women in rugby. Despite the pandemic temporarily limiting her ability to apply her work to the rugby world, she hopes to return as a referee and continue growing the sport she loves. Her journey exemplifies the core values of rugby: perseverance, resilience, and giving back to the game that gave her so much.