Rugby United New York & Mike Brown

Mike Brown has returned to Rugby United New York for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old, 5’11”, 220-pound hooker, played for RUNY during the 2018 Spring exhibition season.

Mike was born in Detroit, Michigan and moved to South Africa at a young age. He started to play rugby at age 12 Selborne College and then moved back to Michigan where he attended Clarkston High School. While in high school he continued to play rugby with the Birmingham Buccaneers. In 2009 he attended the USA Rugby Under-18s camp.

After graduating high school, he enrolled at Bowling Green State University and played rugby from 2010-2014. The team advanced to the National Collegiate Championships each year, finishing in 3rd place in 2011 and in 2014. While at there, he was a Mid-American All-Conference selection multiple times and in 2014 earned honors as an Honorable Mention Collegiate All-American.

After graduating from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s of Applied Science Degree (BASc) in Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management, he played with the Scottish Premiership’s Glasgow Hawks. He then moved to New York City to join Old Blue, competing in the American Rugby Premiership.

Brown appeared in all three of the RUNY exhibition season matches in 2018. He was then loaned to Austin Elite Rugby for the 2018 MLR season. He now returns to RUNY and is ready to contribute to the team’s success as they join the nine-team league in 2019.

Rugby United New York Comments

“I was thrilled to be playing in the inaugural MLR season,” Brown told us. “Being in that environment day in and day out gave me a great understanding of what it means to be a professional rugby player. New York has been my home for the last 4 years though, so I’m excited to represent this city. I’m ready to get to work.”

“Mike showed that he was able to perform at a very good level last season while playing for both us and Austin,” Head Coach Mike Tolkin said. “He is an excellent teammate and performs consistently well in the vital skills of a hooker. We’re fortunate to have him back with us.”