Gopher Rugby Welcomes Interim Coach Sean "Snacks" Lindersmith

The University of Minnesota Gopher Rugby Boosters have accepted the resignation of Head Coach Jimmy Hanson, effective immediately.

Coach Hanson has served his alma mater with the passion and energy anyone would expect from a Gopher.  Coach Hanson stepped in during a tough transitional period and has served the team and University proudly. 

Boosters President Chris Babiash has named Sean ‘Snacks’ Lindersmith the acting interim head coach through the 2018/2019 school year. Sean has served as the forwards coach alongside Jimmy for the last two years.

Sean is a USA Rugby level 300 certified coach and was recently selected for the USA Rugby Project SOAR coaching pool.  He is one of the few full-time rugby professionals in the United States. He has served as the team manager for the USA Eagles and San Diego PRO team. Most recently, he was the Director of Youth High School Rugby for the Minnesota Rugby Football Union.

We look forward to Sean and his new role as interim head coach of Gopher Rugby, and continually moving forward with the progress and development of the Men’s Rugby Team!

Sean began his coaching career in San Diego, California in 2009. He has grown as a coach since, coaching on nearly every level of domestic rugby. He was one of the first 14 coaches selected for the Premiership Rugby Scholarship in 2017. 

Sean's coaching experience has been gained serving on the staff of the following teams: 

University of Minnesota Men's Rugby

U.S. Coast Guard Sevens Rugby

San Diego Tuna Sevens

San Diego Regional All Star Team

Young Aztecs Rugby

UC San Diego Women's

Saint Augustine High School Boy's Rugby

He is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He has two children and lives with his partner, Katie. In his spare time, he hosts a podcast dedicated to sharing sports development stories from across the country.