After a decade at the helm of the USA Men’s Eagles 7s program, Mike Friday is stepping away as Head Coach. The 52-year-old from England confirmed his decision on Thursday, just shy of two weeks after his final tournament in charge at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Friday was appointed to the position ahead of the 2014-25 World Sevens Series, and made an immediate impact with the team boosting their standing on the circuit from 13th to 6th. The Eagles would be top-6 finishers for five straight seasons, peaking in 2018-19 with a 2nd-overall finish. Three tournament wins came along the way, including London in 2015, and Las Vegas in both 2018 and 2019.
The Men’s Eagles have qualified for each of the three Olympic tournaments during Friday’s tenure though a podium finish at the flagship event ultimately eluded him. A 9th-place finish at Rio 2016 was followed by a 6th-place return in Tokyo 2021 and 8th in Paris 2024.
A statement from Friday can be seen below:
“To all the Dawgs I have had the pleasure of running with, it’s been an absolute joy worrying day and night about you and your families; together watching you develop as rugby players and more importantly as men. I am proud to know you all and see how you have matured as humans, on and off the pitch. I have no doubt further success awaits all of you.
“To the staff, thank you for all your energy, commitment and hard work. I realize I pushed everyone of you hard and your selflessness throughout is a fantastic trait, especially at those dark times. It was never taken for granted by me.
“A special thanks goes out to the Golden Eagles, who have been the bedrock of the sevens programs this last decade. I hope the best for a continued relationship with USA Rugby as the organization, players and supporters look forward to success in LA 2028.
“I will always be watching and supporting from afar, I wish the new custodians of the program the very best as they get ready to buckle up! The strength of the pack is the dawg, and the strength of the dawg is the pack. Over and out, Mike.”
The post Mike Friday steps down as Men’s Eagles 7s coach appeared first on Americas Rugby News.
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