Mike Purcell (born December 6, 1951) played wing for the United States national rugby union team from 1980 to 1987, earning 14 caps and scoring 4 tries.Mike Purcell test matches, ESPNscrum. Retrieved January 24, 2016. The U.S. Rugby Foundation inducted Purcell into the United States Rugby Hall of Fame in 2015."USRFF Announces US Rugby Hall of Fame Class", Goff Rugby Report, March 16, 2015.
Purcell played for the U.S. at the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup where he scored two tries — the first in a victory over Japan, the other in a loss to England."USRFF Announces US Rugby Hall of Fame Class", Goff Rugby Report, March 16, 2015. Purcell also played for the U.S. national rugby sevens team. He played for the first U.S. sevens team at the 1981 Hong Kong Sevens, where he scored the U.S. team's first ever try."2015 US Rugby Hall of Fame Class Named" , Rugby Today, March 16, 2015.
Following his playing career, Purcell coached rugby. He has coached Davis High School."After a six-year absence, prep rugby returns to Davis", Davis Enterprise, Bruce Gallaudet, November 14, 2012. He was the head coach for the UC Davis Aggies, which won the 2015 Pac Western conference and the D1-AA national title."Pac Western Starts", Goff Rugby Report, January 22, 2016.
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