All-Time American List: Tom Billups
All-Time American List: Tom Billups
Is he the most intense rugby player the USA ever produced? There have been a lot of intense men and women, but it's hard to imagine anyone outworking Tom Billups.
Too short, too inexperienced, too American—Billups cast aside all criticism and doubts to become one of the best hookers in the world. A champion football player at Augustana, helping that school win the NCAA DIII national title four years in a row, Billups was a lineman despite giving up about 50 pounds to every opponent. He was a leader, an inspiration, and the example of how hard you need to work to be great.
He was convinced to play rugby, too, and started with the Quad City Irish in his native Iowa before eventually moving to the Old Blues in California. He became one of the first Americans to play professionally, hooking on with Blackheath in England, and, when they couldn't pay players anymore, bashed down the door at Harlequins to become their starting #2.
At times, Billups was preferred over all-time great Keith Wood for the 'Quins starting hooker spot. Yet when Wood was battling a knee injury it was Billups who helped him rehab to get back to playing shape. His 44 caps for the Eagles was, for a time, a record. He captained the team in 1998, was a very difficult runner to stop, did the dorty work, and was always—always—ready to work hard, train more, and prepare more.
Billups has been at the forefront of American rugby coaching since he retired in 1999, and coached the Eagles from December 2001 through 2005. His high standards as a coach is what many players credit for their success. But this is about the player, and Tom Billups was excellent as an amateur, and excellent as a professional, and led from the front in establishing Americans as reliable overseas pros.
He could also play 7s, something not every 15s hooker has the fitness or pace to do, representing the USA (before there was an official World Series) in Hong Kong, Sicily, Benidorm, Canberra, Fiji, and Taiwan.
There's that old statement about standing on the shoulders of giants. With Tom Billups, it's more like he's the one who grabbed us all and just kept driving.
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