Paul Passino is our November Alumnus of the Month!
When did you play?
I first played for Michigan Rugby in 2003-2004, but I was also playing lacrosse at the time. The season overlap prevented me from playing rugby full time until the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
What position did you play?
At Michigan I played second row, but I have played primarily back row ever since for other clubs.
What got you started?
Andrew Finn’s broken washer and dryer unit is solely responsible for my rugby career at Michigan. My dad played rugby at Michigan, and I played a little in high school. However, Finn’s laundry was the catalyst. He was doing laundry at my apartment when I lived on top of Blue Front. He was buddies with my roommate, and fellow lacrosse player, John Morgan. Finn was pulling my clothes out of the dryer on a Friday afternoon when he noticed a rugby shirt. We started talking about rugby. He invited me to come out and play with the C side the next day. The Bs did not have two second rows, so I ended up playing with them. I believe the first side was playing Bowling Green.
What honors/awards did you receive?
I was named cross-over athlete of the year in 2006, which was probably more of a dig at my lacrosse playing than anything else.
What are your favorite memories/teammates?
My dad’s first trip back to Ann Arbor to watch me play for his old club was a cool moment. Our tour to Mexico was pretty great. Wes Farrow had recently graduated and organized the tour, including our work with several orphanages in Mexico City. If I remember, I worked to stay within the spirit of the safety rules he outlined, even if I ventured from the letter of the law a bit. After the spring semester in ’06, Brett Barna sent an email out to the team that said, in different words, “don’t be a loser, come to China!” I guess I was the only one that responded, but Barna and I spent two weeks in China and then a few nights in Tokyo hosted by the University of Tokyo lacrosse coach. Playing with and against some of my Michigan teammates over the last decade and a half has been one of the coolest things about having played at Michigan. I played in Houston right out of school. We played against Mike “Babyeater” Eller, who was playing for New Orleans at that time. I played against Matt Trenary in the now defunct Rugby Super League when he was playing for the Denver Barbarians and I was playing for the Chicago Lions. We lost that one. The Ann Arbor men’s team was in town to play that weekend as well, which was cool. I played in the Lawyers World Cup in London with Nick Harris in 2015. Nick is not a lawyer, but he does forensic accounting so we called it close enough to count. It turns out we, along with the French, were the only team that did not bring a bunch of ringers. We did not show very well, but we won the party. I also had the opportunity to work with Evan Barclay in Houston for several years.
What did you do after Michigan Rugby?
My first year out of Michigan I moved to Houston. I was looking for a job teaching before going to law school. I ended up working as a legal assistant for a firm that was supportive of my trips to play rugby around the country and world. When I got to my first men’s club I told them I played inside center. I played center for a season before a new coach moved me into loose forward, where I have primarily played since. I have played on several touring sides in 7’s, 10’s, and 15’s codes. I played in the Bangkok 7’s and the Helsinki Midnight X’s along the way, which were both highlights. I even got to play in Cuba in 2015. I moved to Chicago to attend law school in 2009 and lived there and played for the Lions for several years. When I moved back to Houston in 2015, I started coaching high school and eventually a men’s side that has dragged me back onto the pitch. Interestingly enough, I ended up coaching at Tex’s high school. I work in the energy sector for a midstream company based in Houston. I have a 2 year old son. He loves to play with the rugby ball, but he has hands like feet. We will have to work on that in the coming years.
Congratulations to Paul as our Alumnus of the Month for November 2021!
1 comments
With you Paul!