Shawn Pittman (born January 22, 1988 in Bellingham, Washington, United States) is an American

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

coach and former player. Pittman played

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

for Old Puget Sound Beach and the United States Eagles. He played in the

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 (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

. He is currently the head coach of the Utah Warriors in

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

(MLR). He also represented his country at under-19 and under-20 levels. His debut for his country was against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

on November 8, 2008.

Youth rugby

Pittman started playing rugby when he was 18, after being persuaded to take up the sport by some rugby playing friends. He first played representative rugby for the U.S. in 2006. He was selected for the U.S. squad for the Under 19 World Junior Championships in Belfast in 2007. Also in 2007, Pittman undertook the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand's Advanced Course at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

, where he met the likes of

Grant Fox Grant James Fox (born 16 June 1962) is a former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was a member of the All Blacks team that won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. He is also the father of professional golfer, Ryan Fox. Playing career ...

. In 2008, Pittman played for the US national under-20 team in the first-ever IRB Junior World Championship in Wales. Pittman played in all five matches and scored two tries in the defeats to Fiji and South Africa.

Senior and professional rugby

Pitman made his senior debut for the U.S. Eagles against Uruguay in November 2008. He also featured against the England Saxons in 2009. He featured in the

2010 Churchill Cup The 2010 Churchill Cup, the eighth edition of an annual international rugby union tournament, was taking place in the Denver and New York City metropolitan areas. This was the second consecutive year in which Denver was a host city, and the third ...

, putting in a man-of-the-match performance in a 39-22 win over Russia. Pittman joined London Welsh in the summer of 2010 from Canadian side

Bayside Sharks Bayside Rugby Football Club (nicknamed Bayside Sharks) is a Canadian rugby union club that is based in White Rock, British Columbia. Established in 1988, the club regularly competes in the top division of British Columbia rugby and has contribut ...

, having previously gained Super League experience in the U.S. with Golden Gate. It was a fitting end to his first season in English rugby in which Pittman had been a permanent feature in the Welsh front row, making 29 appearances for the club and scoring one try in the 54-9 play-off win over Bristol at Old Deer Park. Pittman and the Eagles beat Russia 32-25 to clinch the 2011 Churchill Cup Bowl at Sixways in England in June. Pittman played in all four U.S. matches in the

in New Zealand, starting in two. Pittman’s last appearances for the U.S. were in August 2013, starting in a pair of matches against Canada. Pittman struggled with concussion issues, before announcing his retirement from rugby in September 2014.

Coaching career

2016 - USA Men's U20's Assistant Coach 2017 - Current USA Rugby Men's National Team Assistant Coach. Shawn joined the Eagels as an Assistant Coach in 2017 with the change-over in head coach from John Mitchell to Gary Gold. Pittman was a part of the staff that lead the USA to the 2019 RWC. In 2019 Pittman joined the Utah Warriors as an Assistant Coach. In 2021 Shawn took over as interim head coach and was named Major League Rugby coach of the year for the 2021 season. After the season he was named head coach heading into the 2022 season.

References

External links

Player Profile eaglesxv.com

Player Profile USA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittman, Shawn 1988 births Living people American rugby union players United States international rugby union players Rugby union props