Brian Vizard
Brian Vizard was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Jack and Barbara Vizard on July 4, 1959. He was the youngest of six children. Vizard played all sports growing up including baseball and golf. But he really found success in ice hockey, receiving All-City Honors as an ice hockey defenseman while attending Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School. In the spring of 1978, he discovered rugby and was at the first practice the Grand Rapids Rugby Club ever had.
Vizard was an instrumental player at the club level. He played a key role for OMBAC when they won five national club titles and two national sevens championships. He was also a part of several San Diego County, Southern California Griffins, and Pacific Coast Grizzlies championship teams.
In 1986, Vizard made his debut for the USA Men’s National 15s and 7s Teams. He represented the USA in both the 1987 and 1991 15s Rugby World Cups, captaining the 1991 team. He captained the team for eight matches and earned 22 caps during his career. In 7s, he represented the USA at the inaugural Sevens Rugby World Cup in 1993 and was a three-time participant at the Hong Kong Sevens Tournament. Vizard appeared in 21 sevens international matches for the red, white and blue. He retired from internationals 15s in 1991 and 7s in 1993. Over the course of his career, he journeyed on 22 international tours.
Since his retirement from playing rugby, Vizard has dedicated his life to giving back to the sport. He was a member of the USA Rugby Board from 1996-1998. He was the Executive Director of the U.S. Rugby Super League from 1996-1999. Vizard is one of the four worldwide vice presidents of the Rugby Memorabilia Society.
Vizard has been an on-air talent for over 700 rugby television broadcasts dating back to 1995. He co-hosted a weekly international rugby studio broadcast on Fox Sports World. He also appeared on Fox Sports 1, NBC Universal, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, FOX, FOX Soccer Channel, FOX Soccer Plus, all of FOX Regional Affiliates, Versus, Oxygen, and Prime Ticket.
In 2014, Vizard won the Craig Sweeney Award, an honor bestowed on past U.S. international players that have given back to the sport. In 2015, he was inducted into the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Sports Hall of Fame.
Vizard currently serves as the President of the United States Rugby Foundation. He has done so since 2004. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Kathleen. He enjoys time with his daughter, Ashley, and two grandkids, Mia and Malakai.