August Alumnus of the Month: Tae’Ni Chang-Stroman

Congratulations to our August Alumnus of the Month, Tae’Ni Chang-Stroman.

When did you play?

Spring of 1988 to the spring of 1991.

What positions did you play?

I started out as a hooker, but the chance of moving up was going to be a hard battle since the two hookers in front were very experienced. So I flipped to playing flanker. I played flanker for A side and the Killer Bs and wing for the C side.

What got you started?

I was in medical school and discovered I had high blood pressure. My professor of epidemiology at the time told me to  take medication or do some aerobic exercise or I was going to die young. I was just lifting weights and hated jogging, but while walking through campus looking for a late classroom to study in I saw the flyer:  “Give Rugby a Try.” The heavens opened up and showed me the light and the way to health and salvation! I knew I needed someone to yell at me to run so I  showed up to the indoor gym practice and the rest is history.

Any honors or awards?

We didn’t have many awards except for the Cowmeadow Award which we would present on practice on Tuesday; my signature is on there a couple of times. I had the honor of being the Captain from spring ’90 to spring ’91.

What are your favorite memories/teammates?

Lots of Favorite Memories. Going Undefeated in our Bahamas tour 3-0 where the rookies entertained all with their walk around the pool.  Winning the Michigan Cup with the B side. After playing in Chicago with the A side, I got home at about 5am just to listen  to an answering machine message (okay, I’m old) requesting my services in Grand Rapids  because they were short players due to injury. I drove there (got a speeding ticket) just in time to find out they advanced to the finals on goal kicks as a tiebreaker over CMU. I played the final against MSU—no warm-up because the kids lost the ball they brought—and we won the game and got a trophy that we ended up breaking. My girlfriend asked if we actually drank the beer instead of wearing it, because I was a victim of various rookie pranks always coming home soaked with beer.

Big influences were Jeff Hagan, David Perpich, Dave Horton, Greg Rose, Ian Chapman, Tom Raboine, David Weber, and Tony Menyhart. They taught me what it is to be a rugby player, on and off the field. My friends were the Zimmer brothers, Pat Muscat, John Swis, Tom Warburton, Tom Ludden, and a few others I know that I’ve forgot to mention. 

What have you done since Michigan Rugby?

I have continued playing rugby for various clubs. In chronological order: Chicago Blaze, University of Chicago RFC, Chicago Griffins, NWI Exiles, back to the Griffins, back to the Exiles, and then (just this spring) NWI Reapers RFC. I was a team captain for the Griffins for a year and a coach for U of Chicago and Exiles for many years. I’m currently  a pediatrician in northwest Indiana. I’ve played rugby for five decades: 1980s to 2020s. 

How has Michigan Rugby affected your life beyond rugby?

To say that Michigan Rugby taught me many lessons I still rely on would be an understatement. My big influences, through their actions, taught me how to lead while being grounded, to teach without being condescending, to stay humble, and to put in the work necessary to lead. Self-discipline and sacrifice. If you can run a rugby team, you can run any company, I have realized.  I have tried to give back to the game of rugby what I have gotten out of it. Michigan Rugby has taught me your rugby teammates are the best friends you will have; and the game, that moment between whistles, that field between those lines, that try zone beyond the posts, the fifteen working together as one—overcoming mistakes and penalties and bad luck, pulling together through pain and fatigue, and working hard to get that brutal win—that is living life as it was meant to be. Rugby is life. So beyond rugby, I have taken what I have learned to live my life, raise my family, run my pediatric practice, overcome any adversity, enjoy my success and accomplishments, and give back to the community.