Coach Tony Solis was hired in July of 2024 as the first Head Coach of Men's Rugby at Thomas College.
Tony has been a member of the Maine rugby community since 2004. First as a player at University of Maine Farmington, and later as a long-time assistant to legendary college rugby coach Woody Hanstein. In 2015, Tony took over as the Head Coach at UMF amassing back-to-back New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) titles (2017 & 2018). Those teams also finished in the National Collegiate Rugby D3 top 10.
A Western Maine native, Tony earned all conference honors in football, and captained Boys Lacrosse at Mt. Blue HS in his senior year. Tony has a strong familiarity with college rugby's unique developmental process, and says one of his favorite things in coaching is to "watch it click" for a developing rugby player.
When asked about what he is looking forward to and what excites him most about this new opportunity for Thomas College and their students, Solis stated, "Rugby is played in over 125 countries across the world. By simply playing the sport of rugby at Thomas College, student-athletes will gain access to a global family unlike any other sport in the world.
What I love about rugby is that Rugby People look after fellow rugby people. Upon graduation, a player could move to any city in the world and instantly have a network of rugby brothers and sisters to help them with anything from employment, housing, and childcare to service-minded community organizations."
When not coaching or watching rugby, Tony can be found spending time throughout Maine with his wife, two young children and their dog Blue.
