Correction appended.
Come next week, the Ohio University Men’s Rugby Club will be able to say that it produced a Hall of Famer.
Steve Finkel, a founding member of Ohio’s rugby club, will be inducted into the United States Rugby Foundation Hall of Fame on June 30 in San Diego, according to an Ohio University news release. Finkel will be honored for his contributions to the game as a player and a coach.
Finkel graduated from Ohio University in 1975, and he joined the club when Jim Farmer, the club’s founder and captain, asked him if he was interested in playing rugby, according to the release.
Finkel didn’t know what rugby was, but he joined anyway.
While playing for the men’s rugby club — it was founded in 1972 — Finkel was known for his speed and agility. That speed and agility propelled him to a successful playing career in the U.S. and abroad.
After playing at Ohio, Finkel returned to his hometown of Columbus to play for the Scioto Valley Rugby Football Club. In 1980, Finkel joined the USA Eagles, a national team that was based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He traveled nationally and internationally with the Eagles, and in 1981 he was invited to play for the United States in the Hong Kong Sevens. It was the first time the U.S. was invited to play in the tournament, according to the release.
Along with playing in the Hong Kong Sevens, he also played in the first Rugby World Cup during 1987. Finkel’s playing career was filled with achievement, but he was also highly regarded as a coach. He coached the USA Eagles’ 1993 Rugby World Cup team, according to the release.
Finkel is one of 10 nominees who will be inducted.
Correction: This article has been updated to provide proper sourcing.
