Michael Petri
Encyclopedia
Michael Zachary Petri is a American
rugby union
scrum-half who has played for Newport Gwent Dragons
. He joined the Dragons from Sale Sharks
after a lack of game time for the Premiership side. In 2010, he returned to the American
to focus on his role on the United States national rugby union team
. He has participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
in France as well as the 2011 Rugby World Cup
, scoring the only try of the USA-Russia match.
Before moving to England, he had been captain of NYAC
in New York City
, and led them to the Rugby Super League title in his final season there in 2010.
Petri has been playing rugby since he was a freshmen at Xavier High School (New York City)
. He was originally approached at age 14 by the Xavier rugby coaches. He then attended Penn State University under a rugby scholarship where he was selected to the Collegiate All-American Team four years in a row. He graduated with a degree in Life Sciences
.
Mike also captained the U-19 and All-American Squad as well as won the 2006 Collegiate All-Stars Tournament MVP and the 2006 Doug Edwards Award. Petri's father, also Mike, played rugby as a youth and encouraged his participation in the sport.
Rugby wasn't the only sport Petri excelled in in High School, he was also a skilled soccer and hockey player, lettering in both varsity sports – Soccer and Rugby. He transitioned from soccer to rugby because "I was constantly getting yellow cards ... but I never thought a sport could be so perfect (as rugby)." Petri graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Life Science and was on the Deans List, the Alpha Epsilon Delta
National Pre-Health Honors Society and the Phi Eta Sigma
National Honors Society.
Oustide of Rugby, Mike has worked at the UBS wealth management team led by Gary Zahakos, a family friend.. Petri started "from the ground up," working as a client service associate while he studied for and attained the necessary licenses to trade on the stock exchange. He then became more involved in portfolio analysis and trading. He quit the job to pursue rugby full-time in England
. He had previously worked at his family’s century-old plumbing business in Brooklyn and in construction with his uncle.
He is a devout New York Rangers
fan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
scrum-half who has played for Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
. He joined the Dragons from Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
after a lack of game time for the Premiership side. In 2010, he returned to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to focus on his role on the United States national rugby union team
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
. He has participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France as well as the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, scoring the only try of the USA-Russia match.
Before moving to England, he had been captain of NYAC
New York Athletic Club RFC
The New York Athletic Club Rugby Football Club is a SuperLeague rugby union team based in New York City. As the team name suggests, NYAC RFC is affiliated with the New York Athletic Club.-Sponsorship:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and led them to the Rugby Super League title in his final season there in 2010.
Petri has been playing rugby since he was a freshmen at Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School is a independent Jesuit university-preparatory high school for young men located at 30 West 16th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1847, as the College of St. Francis Xavier by Father John Larkin, S.J...
. He was originally approached at age 14 by the Xavier rugby coaches. He then attended Penn State University under a rugby scholarship where he was selected to the Collegiate All-American Team four years in a row. He graduated with a degree in Life Sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
.
Mike also captained the U-19 and All-American Squad as well as won the 2006 Collegiate All-Stars Tournament MVP and the 2006 Doug Edwards Award. Petri's father, also Mike, played rugby as a youth and encouraged his participation in the sport.
Rugby wasn't the only sport Petri excelled in in High School, he was also a skilled soccer and hockey player, lettering in both varsity sports – Soccer and Rugby. He transitioned from soccer to rugby because "I was constantly getting yellow cards ... but I never thought a sport could be so perfect (as rugby)." Petri graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Life Science and was on the Deans List, the Alpha Epsilon Delta
Alpha Epsilon Delta
Alpha Epsilon Delta is a U.S. health preprofessional honor society. The organization currently has more than 144,000 members within 186 chapters at universities throughout the United States, making it the world's largest Honor Society serving all students from different backgrounds in the pursuit...
National Pre-Health Honors Society and the Phi Eta Sigma
Phi Eta Sigma
Phi Eta Sigma is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and now has more than three hundred chapters throughout the United States and more than 1 million members.-Eligibility:Any first-year...
National Honors Society.
Oustide of Rugby, Mike has worked at the UBS wealth management team led by Gary Zahakos, a family friend.. Petri started "from the ground up," working as a client service associate while he studied for and attained the necessary licenses to trade on the stock exchange. He then became more involved in portfolio analysis and trading. He quit the job to pursue rugby full-time in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He had previously worked at his family’s century-old plumbing business in Brooklyn and in construction with his uncle.
He is a devout New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
fan.
Family
Petri married Lauren Petri (nee Birckhead) on June 25, 2011. Lauren also attended Penn State University and is a personal trainer in New York City.External References
- USA profile
- Scrum profile
- Sale profile
- http://www.rugbyrugby.com/news/features/mike_petri_blog Mike Petri's RugbyRugby Blog
- http://www.universalsports.com/video/assetid=ef5912e6-1cdb-4f1c-a8e5-1f3f72afecda.html Interview with Mike just prior to 2011 Rugby World Cup