Will Riddle
Head Coach
Name:
Will Riddle
Hometown: Robinson, TX
College education: West Point, BS - Economics
Years played: 8
Positions played: center and fullback
Teams played for: Army, OKC, Fort Sill
Years coached: 2
Teams coached: Texas A&M
Why you came to A&M: Grad School, MBA
Goals for A&M: National Championship
Favorite Position to play: Outside Center
Favorite Rugby moment: "T" Toumopau, Army winger, breaking the Dartmouth
8 man's sternum, the guy out weighed him by 75 lbs, most amazing hit I've ever
seen in any sport.
Favorite
sport (other than rugby): Golf
Favorite food: Really Greasy Cheeseburgers
Favorite restaurant: Koppe Bridge
Favorite movie: Young Guns
Favorite quote: Robert E. Lee's definition of a gentleman (look it up)
Favorite place to vacation: Alaska or South Padre
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? The Great State of Texas
If you could meet anyone, who would it be? The Bush Twins
If you had one wish, what would you wish for? Enough money to not have
to wish for anything
Jessi Halligan
Assistant Coach
Name:
Jessi Halligan
Hometown: Draper, SD
College education: B.A Harvard University, Anthropology
Years played: 7
Positions played: all forward positions, but hooker and wing upon a few
memorable (though no one wants to) occasions
Teams played for: Radcliffe, Beantown Women's RFC, Northeast U-23s,
Northeast TRU
Years coached: 2
Teams coached: only us!
Why you came to A&M: Best underwater archaeology program in the world (I
think I am supposed to whoop! when I say that)
Goals for A&M: Win a National title, learn how awesome rugby really
is, and help raise the level of play in Texas
Favorite Position to play: Lock and 8
Favorite Rugby moment: Beating Princeton to advance to the finals of the
national championship my sophomore year of college and breaking their 50-0 winning
streak and leading to the national title for us (after we beat Air Force in a
hard-fought game)
Favorite sport (other than rugby): Almost anything involving horses
Favorite food: cookies
Favorite restaurant: hmm, anywhere I can eat a lot (I am a born forward)
Favorite movie: Princess Bride
Favorite quote: I am not really a quote kind of girl, but I think one that
I have really co-opted at least, was from my college coach, Bubba
Connors, "Execution beats the hell out of deception."
Favorite place to vacation: anywhere I get to hike around and look for
stuff, but I don't think I have been on vacation in years.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? see above - a place I
could have an archaeological site to work on and several horses and cats and
dogs to follow me around.
If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Ghengis Khan. I want to
know what it is like to go from barbarian to king of the known world.
If you had one wish, what would you wish for? World peace. No,
seriously, I think I would wish for the ability to teleport so I could be more
places more often more easily and could see my family more often.
Todd Johnson
Assistant Coach
Name:
Todd L Johnson
Hometown: Mustang, OK
College education: West Point - BS Engineering Management
Years played: 5
Positions played: Flanker, Hooker, Prop
Teams played for: West Point RFC, Ft Rucker RFC
Years coached: 0
Teams coached: Texas A&M
Why you
came to A&M: Grad School - MBA
Goals for A&M: National Title...oh and graduate
Favorite Position to play: Flanker
Favorite Rugby moment: Watching Jack Seneff get knocked out twice in
about 2 minutes by the forwards.
Favorite
sport (other than rugby): to play - golf; to watch - college football
Favorite food: Dad's chicken enchiladas
Favorite restaurant: Dad's house
Favorite movie: Tombstone and Goodfellas
Favorite quote: "Tis no normal...just life...get on with it."
Favorite place to vacation: don't know, I haven't been everywhere yet
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?: Texas Hill Country
If you could meet anyone, who would it be?: Jesse James
If you had one wish, what would you wish for?: the ability to predict the
future
Why you came to A&M: Job-
Assistant Professor
Goals for A&M: National Championship
Favorite Position to play: Scrumhalf
Favorite Rugby moment: Watching someone achieve their potential on the field
Favorite sport (other than rugby): Australian Rules Football
Favorite food: Asian
Favorite restaurant: Vietnamese Corner Restaurant, Canberra
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite quote: Son, you’re a dumbass
Favorite place to vacation: Italy
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Tasmania
If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Daila Lama
If you had one wish, what would you wish for? World Peace
Name: Johnny Smith
Hometown: Crosby, Texas
College education: B.A History Sam Houston State
Years played: 9
Positions played: Tight head, 8 man
Teams played for: Sam Houston, The Woodlands, Missoula Maggots (Montana),
Sumner RFC (Christchurch NZ)
Years coached: 6 years
Teams coached: Sam Houston, Texas A&M RFC, Texas Select Collegiate &
U19’s
Why you came to A&M:
Goals for A&M: National Championships
Favorite Position to play: Tighthead
Favorite Rugby moment: Playing in NZ, Drop goal to secure victory in
Dallas, Winning Premier Tourney in Colorado with U 19’s
Favorite sport (other than rugby):
Are there other sports?
Favorite food: Fly Halves
Favorite restaurant: Taco Bell
Favorite movie: Tombstone
Favorite quote: "The most courageous people in this world are the ones
who are willing to PREPARE to win." -Bob Dwyer
Favorite place to vacation: Queenstown, NZ
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Christchurch, New Zealand
If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Todd Blackadder, Jim Greenwood
If you had one wish, what would you wish for? World Cup Championship for
USA Rugby