Permanent Coach & BigTen Championship Tournament
*Breaking news*
Interim coaching tag has been removed and Sean ‘Snacks’ Lindersmith has signed a 3 year contract to be the University of Minnesota. The University Alumni boosters have made a commitment of coaching being a high priority budget consideration and hiring Coach Lindersmith gives the club long term stability.
Urgent
An anonymous parent donor has given $4000 toward the cost of a coach bus for the upcoming BigTen tournament. The total cost for the long journey is roughly $6100. The Alumni boosters are asking donors, parents and fans to contribute as much as they can afford in order to make this a free charge to the players. Not only saving the student athletes money, but allowing them the comfort of a coach to rest and study for the upcoming match vs Purdue.
Any and all contributions help.
Please click On the link below and help cover the balance due outside of the super generous $4000 in seed money.
Please consider supporting the team as they pursue this historic milestone. As always, all donations are fully tax deductible and greatly appreciated!
https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/2tus8o370cc1
Ski U Mah,
The Alumni
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.
2018 Gopher Rugby Schedule!
Upcoming Games and Events
9/8-9 All Minnesota Rugby Tournament (VFW Soccer Fields, Otsego, MN)
9/15 University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
9/22 BYE
9/29 St. John's University (Collegeville, MN)
10/6 Michigan State University (Home)
10/13 University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
10/20 Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
10/27 University of Illinois (Home, UMN Parents Weekend)
11/10 Big Ten Championships (TBD)