BERKELEY – Former Cal captain, two-time national champion, and four-time All-American with California rugby, Blaine Scully announces his retirement after a decade of competing for the U.S. International team, including the last four as captain.
 
"It's a difficult thing to say that I will no longer be a professional or international rugby player," said Scully. "What I loved so much about the game is how it challenged me in every imaginable way. Facing those challenges, not alone, but with a group; a team that you respect and trust, will be what I miss the most."
 
Since his appointment as Captain in 2016, Scully built a 14-9 record in test matches for a win percentage of .608 while scoring eight tries. His leadership helped the Eagles secure several important benchmarks, including: first-ever wins over No. 6 Scotland, Samoa and Argentina XV, as well as two Americas Rugby Championship titles (2017, 2018) and the highest world ranking of No. 12 in 2018. Scully is also tied for the most appearances of any American at a Rugby World Cup (3).
 
"Today is a day for celebration," said head coach Jack Clark. "We celebrate Blaine's playing career and his singular contribution to the sport of rugby. He represents the finest qualities of an athlete: a true leader, highly competitive, always prepared, loyal teamship and unwavering sportsmanship. We will always point to Blaine as an example to what Cal rugby aspires. I wish the best of success to Blaine, Shannon and baby Sadie in their next chapter."
 
Scully earned his first international cap in 2011 and signed one of the first full-time contracts to join the initial USA Rugby/USOC residency program at the Olympic Training site in 2010. From there, he signed with the Leicester Tigers of the English Premiership and in 2018 won the European Challenge Cup with the Cardiff Blues. Scully is also a cofounder of the United States Rugby Players Association which looks after wellbeing of athletes across all four USA national teams in 7s and XVs. He is also a member of the International Rugby Players Global Council which advocates for the betterment of rugby and collaboration between its key stakeholders.
 
"The University of California, Berkeley is the place where my passion for the game was refined and my true rugby education began," said Scully. "It is here that I learned what it meant to be a pro, a teammate, a leader. Coach Clark, Coach Billups, and Cal rugby have relentlessly supported my career. Coach Clark gave me the opportunity to become a Golden Bear, and Coach Billups, my mentor and coach, fixed me when I needed fixing and mentored me whenever I needed him, which was often."