Fred Paoli seemed old school even when he was playing back in the 1980s and 90s.

An accomplished football player at Colorado State, where was one of the captains on the defensive side of the ball, Paoli took up rugby as his football career wound down, and he took to it brilliantly. 

RMA Podcast: The Front-Row Tough Guy, Fred Paoli

An expert in the scrum and a grouchy player who backed down from no one, Paoli logged 20 caps for the USA despite not getting into the USA side until he was 28, and was captain of the squad three times. Rugby was in his bones from the moment he started playing and he remains an influential figure in the game today.

He embraced the spirit of the game and used the knowledge from around the world to become better at a sport he joined relatively late—it was that work ethic along with the love of contact that made him great.

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