William Pettigrew Darsie (January 6, 1891 – January 30, 1954) was an American rugby union player who played at flanker for the United States men's national team in its first capped match against New Zealand in 1913.
![]() Darsie with the US team in 1913 (pictured back row, fourth from left) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | William Pettigrew Darsie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | January 6, 1891 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | January 30, 1954 | (aged 63)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Santa Clara, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Palo Alto High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Stanford University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography
editWilliam Darsie was born on January 6, 1891, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,[1] the son and one of three children of William W. Darsie and Jean P. Darsie (born Pettigrew).[2] Upon his father's retirement in 1905, Darsie moved with his family to Palo Alto, California, where he attended Palo Alto High School.[2] While in high school, Darsie played rugby with his school's team.[2]
After high school, Darsie attended Stanford University and was a member of the university's rugby teams.[2] In 1913, Darsie was the acting captain of the Stanford rugby team.[3] While at Stanford, Darsie was a member of the California Beta chapter of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.[2] On November 15, 1913, Darsie played for the United States at flanker in its first test match against New Zealand—a 51–3 defeat.[4]
After attending Stanford, Darsie worked as a vegetable farmer and chaired a California agricultural advisory committee during World War II.[2] Darsie married Mildred S. Powers, with whom he had two children.[2] Darsie died on January 30, 1954, in Santa Clara, California, at the age of 63.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "William Darsie". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Casey, Patrick. "William Pettigrew Darsie". The Rugby History Society. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Harvard Won; Score 3–0". The Riverside Daily Press. Vol. XXVIII, no. 267. Princeton, New Jersey. The United Press. November 8, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved January 2, 2019 – via the California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "New Zealand Tour - Berkeley, 15 November 1913". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2019.