Congratulations to the four outstanding members of the 10th Anniversary Texas Rugby Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Doug Corrigan, Filip Keuppens, Kelly “Spike” Kolberg, and Paul McCartney. Additionally, Mattison Grey, Joe and Jackie Olivas, and David Pflegler have been named Distinguished Service Award recipients, while Paul Mabry is being honored with the prestigious Alan Sharpley Visionary Leadership Award. The 10th Annual Hall of Fame banquet will be held in Houston on August 23.
Gerry Acuna, HOF chair said, “this is a great Class, with members of achievement in numerous areas, including having received high honors as players, coaches, contributors and administrators. Additionally, the recipients of our special awards represent outstanding dedication to the game in different, but meaningful ways. Collectively, these honorees have served Texas rugby with great distinction”
Doug Corrigan of the Woodlands has been a fine player and leader of no less than five clubs, and he is still active as a youth coach, referee and administrator. He currently serves as President of Rugby Texas, the Youth/HS rugby organizing body in the state. His many leadership roles during his on-going 35 years of service include being a member of the TRU Board of Directors where he is credited with founding the Hall of Fame itself, and then doing the hard work to get it started, beginning with the first Class in 2016.
Kelly “Spike” Kolberg, Dallas Reds, starred on numerous USA U-19 teams, earning MVP honors at the 2004 World Championships in Durban, South Africa. He represented Texas at the Western USA level in both 15s and 7s, and played for high level clubs for several years in New Zealand, including Hawkes Bay. His first game for the Dallas Reds came as a 16 year old, and he would go on to a long career with the Reds that included several trips to the USA playoffs. He also made appearances with the Dallas Jackals and the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. Spike’s dad is Jeff Kolberg, HOF 2017; they are the second father-son duo in the HOF.
Filip Keuppens, Dallas Reds, has for many years been a driving force for 7s rugby in Texas. He was a founder of the TOLA 7s and was the 7s chair of the Red River Conference. Fil then served as Chair of the USA Club 7s competition, where he ensured match equity between the men’s and women’s game. He was an excellent player and Director of Rugby for Dallas when the club won its first national title in 2022. He has also served as a referee, and played on the USA Touch Rugby squad at the World Championships.
Paul McCartney, Round Rock Rugby, excelled as a founder/player at Slippery Rock College before moving to Galveston, becoming Captain and leading the team to its only state title. While earning a Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Life College, he starred on the club’s national championship 7s side. Back in Texas, he was a 7s and 15s player for Austin RFC, earning all star selections to Texas and Western USA teams. He also played for the fabled Atlantis 7s touring side. After building a reputation as an excellent coach at the collegiate and club level, he established the highly successful Round Rock Youth and HS program featuring several boys and girls sides at various age grades. During his time as program director and coach of the Rugby Texas All Texas All Stars, the team enjoyed great success, notably at the prestigious Rocky Mountain HS Select Side tournaments. Ultimately, he developed a dream training facility for youth and HS players on land he purchased from the city of Round Rock, complete with a lighted field and fully outfitted gym.
Mattison Grey Mattison Grey has quietly created a lasting impact on Texas rugby—as a player, coach, mental skills pioneer, and community builder. She carved out a unique opportunity to give back to the game she loves through mental skills coaching, and bring performance psychology to the forefront of elite women’s rugby. From 2015 to 2021, she served as Mental Skills Coach for the American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC), helping the program earn multiple top five national finishes, including a national championship in 2015. She also coached the TRU Women’s Select Side—Texas Toast—from 2022 to 2024. Her breakout sessions at the TRU Annual Education Summit continue to receive positive feedback from players and coaches alike. Off the pitch, Mattison helped lead the 1998 merger that created the Houston Athletic Rugby Club—uniting the Herricanes, Houston Rugby Club, and Houston Old Boys—in a major organizational milestone for Rugby in Houston. She also helped legitimize Touch Rugby in Houston through the Hurricanes Touch Club, serving as organizer and unofficial treasurer from 2008 to 2018. She has coached girls’ high school rugby and served as liaison for the first-ever women’s stop on the World 7s Series in the U.S., held in Houston. Her playing career began in 1990 with the Houston Herricanes, where she became a team captain, player-coach, and standout prop. She earned selection to the TRU, West, Midwest Select Sides, and the Eagle player pool, finally finishing her career with HARC in 2010.
Joe and Jackie Olivas are the founders of the Spartans Youth Rugby program in Alvin and the surrounding area south of Houston. The couple played men’s and women’s club rugby in Galveston for only two years, but the rugby bug bit hard. When their son became a teenager, they started a U-14 side in 2018 with 12 of his buddies. Now in its eighth season, the Spartans program has 200 registered players at all levels, including boys U-8, U-10, U-12, and U-14, along with a girls U-14 and a girls HS squad, and they now field a JV and Varsity High School Boys team. Additionally, they have 25 coaches and administrators involved in the program.
David Pfleger is being honored for his long service to the Texas Rugby Union as its Financial Director since 2008. TRU President Dave McPhail said, “the state organization has not only benefitted from his expert guidance in keeping our financial house in order for many years, but he has been the consummate team player on the Board. He has deep and wide service to not only the TRU, but to the HARC rugby club and others has been invaluable.”
Paul Mabry is capping off a 50 year career with the Alan Sharpley Award for his visionary leadership. He was the leading force in landing and then organizing the record setting USA-South Africa Test in Houston in 2001, and several successive Test matches. He served for four years as the first Executive Director of Rugby Texas, and served seven years as chair of the HOF after being inducted in 2017. He began his career in Galveston where he was the team Captain before moving to Houston and playing for, among others, The Texas XXXs international touring side. He served on the USA Rugby Board of Directors for a decade, as well as on the Western USA Board where he also led the Men’s 7s and 15s programs. He also served as manager of the TRU Select Side that won a Western USA championship. As a 20-year referee, he was among the early agitators for paying officials.
Cheers and Congratulations to all our 2025 honorees!
Learn more about the 2025 Hall of Fame Banquet.