Several years ago, Paddy McNally - US National Sevens Referee Manager and Northern Hemisphere Referee Selector for the Sevens World Series - gave me the title of "Grandcoach." I believe it was for two reasons: for having coached so many players that also went on to coach, as well as having coached several players that are children of players I had previously coached.

Of the latter, perhaps the most notable pair are the Thompsons, Salty and Brett.  Salty, whom I coached in the 1980s, went on to become National Boys U-19 and U-20 coach and is now the National Boys High School All-American Coach. More than a year ago, Brett - whom I first coached in 2010 - began playing for the US National Sevens team in the Sevens World Series.

Of the former, the most notable coach to whom I am "grandcoach" is Ben Ryan, for many years England's National Sevens Coach and now (2014) the head coach of the Fiji National Sevens team.  Back in 1986 I coached Richard Greed, a Loughborough College student spending a year in the US.  Richard has gone on to coach several teams, including Radley College and England U-16.  Ben Ryan was one of the players he coached; thus via coaching generations I am Ben's grandcoach.

Here are two summaries put together in 2011 and 2012, partial lists of players I've coached that have gone on to become successful coaches themselves.

In 2011 prior to the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) in Philadelphia, Rugby Magazine published an article documenting all the coaches at the CRC that I had coached.  Represented are coaches of 16 of the 24 teams (16 men, 8 women) that participated in the event.



In 2012 I put together a list of national team coaches I have coached in my rugby career:

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