CHULA VISTA, Calif. (USA Rugby Release) – Following 10 years as the USA Men’s Sevens Head Coach, Mike Friday today announced he will step away from the program.
Paris marked the third qualified Olympic games under Friday, who first took over the men’s program in the summer of 2014, lifting the USA ranking on the HSBC SVNS Series to new heights through his tenure. Friday internally informed the players and staff at the start of the 2024 season that this year would be his last, with plans to depart after the Paris Olympics. Mike will look ahead to new ventures and time spent with family after leading the USA team and program for over a decade.
“All good things must come to an end. After 10 years, 85 World Series tournaments, 3 Olympic games and 2 Rugby World Cup Sevens, it's time to step away and be closer to my family and loved ones. A measured decision, and shared with the team six months ago. I arrived in the summer of 2014 to a program that was all but done and given less than 10% chance of Olympic qualification for Rio 2016 - my kind of odds! The journey has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs that I’m immensely proud to have been a part of.”
Mike Friday was appointed Men’s Sevens Head Coach in July 2014, a few months ahead of the start of the 2014-15 HSBC SVNS Series and two years ahead of rugby’s notable return to the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. The USA Men’s Sevens finished 13th on the World Rugby SVNS Series the year prior to Friday taking over, jumping to the 6th position at the end of his inaugural year. The highest finish for the program would come in 2019, when the USA finished runner up after a tight contest in the final stop of the year. The memorable season saw a gold medal for the home stop in Las Vegas, a back-to-back win from 2018 which was the first ever gold medal for the USA men on home soil. The squad would earn early qualification for the Tokyo Olympics that year, while Friday took home Coach of the World Series honors.
USA Rugby CEO, Bill Goren added, “The impact Mike has had on the sport of rugby, both in the USA and beyond is indelible. He has been instrumental in the growth of rugby sevens through the new Olympic era. On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Mike for his dedication to the game, the players and community. We wish him the very best in his next chapter.”
Friday continued on his tenure with the players and program, “It's been a privilege to lead the program and I have loved every minute of the challenges on and off the pitch. The USA Sevens program now believes they belong and the world of rugby definitely no longer see the USA as just participants, but as credible contenders that are feared and respected worldwide. We conquered consistency in 2019 with the original Dawgs, ranked one of the best and most feared teams in the world. Unfortunately we fell short in Tokyo 2021 through the trials and tribulations of the COVID years.”
“Whilst the team didn’t achieve their dreams in 2024, the current Dawgs are very much developing on a journey and on track for peaking in LA 2028. With consistency of support, continual care and guidance in place, who knows what this current pack of Dawgs are capable of.”
Making an impact on and off the pitch, Friday helped cultivate the careers of some of the best players in the history of the game, including Folau Niua with over 70 appearances on the SVNS Series, USA points-leader Madison Hughes and two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year winner, Perry Baker. 53 total USA Men’s Eagles Sevens were capped under Friday, all part of an extended pipeline of American rugby prospects and talent-transfer athletes to come through the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. Leading from the front with the senior national team, Friday has an affinity for fostering young talent through the player pathway with development tours and the annual RugbyTown Sevens.
