Olympic Rugby
USA teams inducted into Hall of Fame
ESPN Staff
July 1, 2012
USA's Taku Ngwenya attempts to break away, USA Eagles v Russia, Rugby World Cup, Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth, New Zealand, September 15, 2011
Rugby continues to develop in the United States, led by talents such as Taku Ngwenya © Getty Images
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USA Olympic Rugby teams from the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games have been inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame.

The teams won gold at successive Olympic Games in Antwerp (1920) and Paris (1924) and consisted of players mainly from Californian universities and funded by the Olympic Club of San Francisco. They have been recognised for the development and promotion of the game in the United States.

The USA remain the reigning Olympic Games rugby champions and will have a chance to defend its title in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016, when rugby returns to the Olympics, albeit in sevens format rather than 15s.

The induction ceremony took place during half time of the final of the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy between USA and Japan at Salt Lake City on Saturday.

IRB Council Member and President of the North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Bob Latham said: "This is a wonderful occasion for USA Rugby. We are deeply appreciative of the IRB's action in inducting those gold medal-winning United States teams into the IRB Hall of Fame, an honour the players on those teams deserve and of which their families can be proud."

The USA team, coached by 1908 Australia Olympic rugby champion Daniel Carroll, upset France in the one and only match of the 1920 Olympic rugby event and then defended the title four years later after beating Romania and France again.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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