MEET THE AUTHOR
MIKE PETRI
Mike Petri is a professional rugby player and team captain for Rugby United New York in Major League Rugby. He has over 50 test caps for the USA Eagles national team and competed in three Rugby World Cup tournaments. He has won national championships with the New York Athletic Club and Belmont Shore, featured for the prestigious Barbarians international side, and played professionally in the UK for both Sale Sharks and Newport Dragons. He was a four time College All American at Penn State University and played for the USA Under 19 National Team in two Junior World Championships while studying at Xavier High School in New York City. In 2023, Mike was inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame. After retiring from playing, Mike is now a lead broadcast color anylst for Major League Rugby on Fox Sports.
Outside of his career on the field, Mike is a K-12 school Athletic Director, teacher and coach. He is also the author and creator of the international hit, fully illustrated rhyming children's book, R is for Rugby: An Alphabet Book. He is also the founding director of NYC Summer Rugby Camps, Up & Under Kids' Rugby Classes, Empire Sports Summer Camps, and the non-profit Rugby For All Inc. He also founded a surf school, Whitecrest Surf School, which provides camps and lessons during the summer months in New York. He also is the creator of a notebook journal designed specifically for rugby players and another journal for surfers.
Click the images below to check out Mike's other fun projects!
Kids Rugby Programs in NYC