1976 U.S. Men’s National Team
2020
Chairman's Award
Inductee
1976 USA Men’s Team vs Australia – On January 31, 1976 in Anaheim, California, the U.S.A. Eagles played against Australia in their first test match of the Modern Era.
The USARFU was founded in 1975 with the purpose of acting as the governing body responsible for the promotion and development of rugby in the United States and in 1976, they introduced the Eagles to the rugby world.
Australia won the hard fought game 24-12, as the U. S. served notice they were a force to be reckoned with.
Selected by Dennis Storer (head coach), Ray Cornbill, Keith Seaber and Dale Toohey, the following players were part of the 1976 team and helped pave the way for rugby in America:
15-Kip Oxman, 14-Del Chipman, 13-Dave Stephenson, 12-Greg Schneeweis, 11-Steve Auerbach, 10-Rob Bordley, 9-Mike Swiderski, 8-Tom Selfridge, 7-Tom Klein, 6-Skip Niebauer, 5-Craig Sweeney, 4-Gary Brackett, 3-Mickey Ording, 2-Fred Khasigian, 1-Eric Swanson Reserves: Bill Fraumann, Steve Gray, Jessie Lopez, Dennis Murphy, Terry Scott, and Barry Waite.
Many of the players, coaches and selectors went on to play important roles in U.S. rugby.