UC Davis Rugby

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Ian Sherman

When did you play for Davis? 86-89. This was a tough time for the club as we were rotating coaches quite a bit, but we had a great leadership group in the Pack and they really kept the program going. We were always on the verge of being pretty damn good and should have made the national playoffs in ’89, but we came up short against Cal (13-16) and had some tough breaks down the stretch. That Cal game is easily my biggest disappointment in Rugby. The Bears went on to win the NCAA Championship, but they knew after that game that they weren’t the best team in the country… Ah well, those are the breaks.

What position(s) did you play? I played Flyhalf. I could kick with both feet which helped tremendously. My soccer and football background helped as well, but as we all know, it takes some time to figure out how to make decisions from the #10.  I coach now at the High School level and teaching the #10 is the hardest part of coaching.  We have to ‘unteach’ so much for the kids that played football it’s a process, but a rewarding one.

Best memory with the club: Touring New Zealand, Hanging with the team after games, hanging with Cal Sr year, and knowing we should have beat them.
Any awards you received: All American ‘89

What did you do after school? Played for BATS (Bay Area Touring Side) for a couple of years and then I had to get a job! 4 knee surgeries slowed the rugby down as well

What are you doing now? I’m currently the VP of Key Accounts for Mark Anthony Brands. We are a wine, beer, liquor producer and distributor in Canada and the United States. I also currently coach Rugby for the Granite Bay Rugby Club which is a club made up of kids from High Schools all over Placer County.

Where do you hope to see the club in the future? The move to D1 is going to be a tough one both competition wise and financially. I am excited to be helping the newly formed Alumni Board get going and building out an organization that is financially stable and that can compete for National Championships!