Dennis Storer (d. 2007)

Dennis Storer, emblematic of a distinct but little-remembered phase of American rugby, passed away this last weekend.

Native to Birmingham, England, Storer played center for Blackheath and Leicester and trialed with the English national team before arriving in Los Angeles on a postgraduate scholarship in 1966. He earned his master’s at USC and doctorate at UCLA, where he joined the faculty and taught until 1989.

Purposeful and visionary, Storer promptly began coaching on the Westwood campus. As head coach of soccer’s newly minted varsity team, he mounted a 103-10-10 record from 1967-73, leading the Bruins to three NCAA runner-up finishes.

On the rugby field, he recruited and trained football players and immediately built UCLA into an enduring power, posting over 1966-82 a gaudy 362-46-2 mark against American colleges and clubs as well as overseas opponents (including notable tours of England and Australia). Three of his teams (1968, 1972, 1975) laid claim to the then-mythical national championship, and dozens of Bruins went on to compete for Santa Monica, the Pacific Coast Grizzlies, and the first US national teams of the modern era.

Storer himself the guided the test side in its first two seasons, 1976 and 1977, including the often-discussed 24-12 debut loss to Australia. Much of world rugby’s stereotype regarding athletic, hard-hitting Americans traces directly to those ‘original Eagles.’

The secret to success was seeing American rugby for what it could be. Where many expatriates emphasized how it’s done back home, Storer put down roots in LA and made the most of what was at hand: raw-boned athletes. But of course, for he was studying how body types contribute to success in contact sports, and his master’s thesis explained how to convert football athletes to rugby.

Accordingly, his teams emphasized the counterattack and broken-field running; Storer told his players to rely on schoolyard instincts rather than make poor passes. He also enjoyed teaching the conventional ‘fall away’ pass.

After retiring from coaching, Storer was active on behalf of the British Olympic Association and served as attache to the Great Britain team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He held leadership roles in British-American commercial organizations as well as the Los Angeles arts and entertainment community. In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II honored Storer with an OBE for contributions to British-American education, sport, and commerce; and he was named a fellow of the Royal Society in 1999.

Dennis Storer was strong beer. Not a few players from the late 1960s and 70s complained that ‘Storer kept me off the team because he didn’t like my game,’ and his ‘varsity approach’ sometimes chagrined the era’s counterculture amateurs on the one hand and gentlemen ruggers on the other. Still, he famously never had a bad word to say, and given his record, the wonder is that his approach was not broadly adopted.

There have been several great American coaches who were not born in United States, also including Miles ‘Doc’ Hudson at Cal and former All Black captain Pat Vincent at St. Mary’s, both of whom were Storer’s contemporaries in what might be considered the finest generation of leaders we have known. Storer adorned this group with a pleasant manner and a penetrating mind that created success in virtually every endeavor, and set a standard which not often been approached.

Related: America's first coach

Comments

[MT]

Emerick is banned for 5 weeks. Not good for our boys.

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2006393.html#usas+paul+emerick+suspended+five+weeks

[cal supporter]

RIP Dennis Storer.

[Mike S]

The father of a good friend of mine played football on UCLA's offensive line in the late 60's and was recruited by Dennis Storer to play rugby. I'm paraphrasing, but to get him to play rugby, Storer apparently said something to effect of, "I'll give you the chance to tackle people AND run with the ball."

RIP, Mr. Storer. Your contributions were immense and as Kurt pointed out, it's a shame they weren't more widely adopted.

[AA]

I was lucky enough to play for Dennis at UCLA. My first year in rugby and his last officially coaching. Go Bruins...

[TJ]

Shame that the current Bruin side can not even compete in their So Cal league, much less the national competition or develop national team candidate players.

[FredR]

Pure class TJ, what a troll you are. Do you mind we have Coach Storer's service before you begin again with your BS.

[TJ]

FredR - I assume you called me a troll without knowing the definition. I don't think you had in mind anything to do with singing or fishing, so you must have one of the following definitions in mind.

troll/troʊl/ [trohl] –noun
1.(in Scandinavian folklore) any of a race of supernatural beings, sometimes conceived as giants and sometimes as dwarfs, inhabiting caves or subterranean dwellings.

2.Slang. a person who lives or sleeps in a park or under a viaduct or bridge, as a bag lady or derelict.

Neither really applies. Is English your second language?

Did you not pay attention in class while you were at college? Or did you figure their stellar rugby program would land you a pro rugby contract that would set you up for life?

Perhaps you should have called me a boor, savage or barbarian, but not a troll.

Since you are most likely a shriveled little old man, and seem content guarding the treasure of the college varsity rugby myth, I will retort by calling you a gnome.

[Referee]

yellow cards, both of you!

[Goeagles]

TJ,

Congrats on keeping up with modern times. Here's a hint:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll

[AA]

here is the most ink that rugby will get in the LA Times this year:
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-storer12sep12,1,6645810.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

[TCS]

I played for Coach Storer in 66 and 67. He was my introduction to rugby ; what he taught me provided the foundation for the enjoyment of the game of rugby for 40 years

[TCS]

I played for Coach Storer in 66 and 67. He was my introduction to rugby ; what he taught me provided the foundation for the enjoyment of the game of rugby for 40 years