College Station, Texas (Texas A&M Release) – The Texas A&M Men’s Rugby Club has announced that former Aggie Rugby halfback Ryan Marshall has joind the program as their Backs Coach for the 2017-2018 rugby season.

Marshall returns to the Aggie Rugby family after coaching the Katy Barbarians RFC high school squad for four years.

Head Coach James Lowrey says this about the addition to his staff: “I met Ryan at my first Old Maroon (Aggie Rugby Former Students) Match in 2015. It was easy to see his excitement for the game but it was his passion for the developing the young men he coached at Katy through the game. Also, his desire for them to become Aggies caught my attention. I firmly believe styles of play reflect coaching and Ryan is a big part of why Katy produces All-Americans and plays a positive game. It's always good to have Aggies coaching Aggies.”

Aggie Rugby President, Captain Andy Brigman, US Army, adds to Coach Lowrey’s enthusiasm for Marshall, stating:

"We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Marshall to the Aggie family.  His experience and passion for the game will provide a great opportunity to take the club to the next level. Ryan will be tasked with building on the strong foundation built by Coaches Grieve and Challicombe and increase our performance on the national stage. This is an exciting time for the club coming off of a Top 10 7's finish and Coach Marshall is the man we need to capitalize on that performance and continue to grow and improve."

Aggies Backs Coach Phil Grieve (2015-2017) leaves the Aggies after this Spring 2017 7s season for family reasons. Marshall replaces Grieve stating, “It's exciting to have the opportunity to learn under a coach like James Lowrey. He has an extensive background in the sport and has done a great job rebuilding the program. The pattern being utilized has a familiar feel to it as well so it will be convenient to adapt concepts.”

Coach Marshall brings a dynamic mindset to the backs. His style of backline play will utilize progressive concepts of running rugby and test the rugby IQ of the Aggie backs. Furthermore, he seeks to foster a competitive culture which will help the Aggies to attain the goal of bringing Red River Conference titles back to Aggieland. Marshall is grateful for this opportunity, stating:

“Thanks to James Lowrey, Johnny Smith, Craig Coates, and everybody else with the Texas A&M Rugby Club for the opportunity. It's an honor to be joining such a prestigious collegiate program. It is also a humbling notion that the next phase of my coaching career will be at my alma mater where I also met my wife while we were both playing rugby.”

Marshall began playing rugby as a halfback for the Katy Barbarians in 2005. He represented Rugby Texas as a scrumhalf on the High Performance team in 2006 & 2007. Marshall matriculated from high school rugby to play his college ball at Texas A&M as a halfback and mid-fielder from 2009-2012. He continued playing rugby at club level for the Dallas Griffins (2012-2013) and Houston United or HURT (2014-2015). Marshal started coaching in 2013 as a backs coach for the A&M Women’s Rugby Club and the Rookie Rugby Coordinator for Rugby Texas. 

For 2014 to 2017, Marshall was the Head Coach and Director of Rugby for the Katy Barbarians, during which time he received Coach of the Year plaudits for his conference (2014), as well as began his journey to a USA Rugby Level 300 Coaching Certification which he plans to finish this summer. Ryan Marshall is a Texas A&M Former Student, Class of 2012, where he studied at the Mays Business School. He currently works as a Real Estate Agent in Katy.