Before Thomas Husson became Monsieur Husson, Greenhills Upper School French Teacher, he played for a semi-pro rugby team in his hometown of Tours, France. In 2008, Husson decided to pack his bags and left his hometown behind to attend Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and pursue a master’s degree in French Studies. When he arrived in Ohio he was faced with a decision: to continue playing rugby or leave it in France. 

Husson never imagined playing rugby as a young boy growing up in Tours, a city three hours southwest of Paris. 

“Seven to 11 years old I was doing dance, just dance,” said Husson. “I played three weeks of soccer when I was 12 years old. I went to three practices and that was it.” 

Soccer is the most popular sport in France, but it didn’t seem to fit Husson, so at the age of 13 Husson’s parents decided he needed to toughen up and join a rugby team. 

“That was three practices a week and you learn to play rugby,” said Husson. “ I played blindside flanker, which is number six on a rugby team.” 

Flankers are found in the center of the field and are known as the bridge between the defense and offense. Specifically, the blind side flanker is tasked with covering the opposite side of the scrum which is where players from both teams lock heads and push against each other to get the ball.

“I just love that you could get physical,” said Husson. “A lot of sports like basketball, handball or soccer are extremely physical, but at the same time, being physical is not allowed.”

Rugby is played without pads or helmets so learning techniques to make contact with opponents such as using the arms or shoulders is very important.

“I was so excited and I was running along the sideline and I thought I was super fast, but no, I was not,” said Husson. “In total I got my nose broken and fractured seven times.”

William Pearce ‘27 has been a student of Husson’s for two years and was surprised to hear about his semi-pro rugby career. 

“It came as a little bit of a shock,” said Pearce. “I know it’s a very physical sport which I can imagine from a man of his background because he talks about his history in the military.”

The life of a semi-pro rugby player included a demanding training and game schedule which Husson had to balance with a different type of training. 

“I was in the military,” said Husson. “So I could not go every time, but I had training in the military, so I was excused from some practices.”

US Tours, Husson’s club played in the fourth division of French Club Rugby. 

“First and second division, everybody can be a pro on the team,” said Husson. “Then in divisions three and four, we were getting $150 if we won a game.” 

Husson’s fellow French teacher Cat Novak has known Husson since he came to Greenhills and is familiar with the game, with it being so popular in France. 

“My husband played rugby and I have a young friend who plays rugby very, very well in the south of France,” said Novak. “I knew that [Husson] played rugby at some level but I didn’t know that it was semi-pro.”

In 2008, when Husson came to BGSU, their rugby team had won twenty-six consecutive Mid-American Conference championships. 

“One American student studied in Tours at the university and played for the BGSU team,” said Husson. “He told the coach, ‘Hey, one of the French guys is coming to do his master’s degree and so they offered me a tryout for the team.” 

Husson was offered a spot on the Division 1 program but declined to follow his other passions. He joined the BGSU cheer team and became a graduate assistant in a French 1010 class. Since rugby became a professional sport in 1995, the game has evolved to be more physical due to the increase in player body mass, which equals harder collisions. 

“People like me, six feet tall, 185 pounds, used to be able to play at the highest level,” said Husson. “Now I would be just hurt or injured. I would be murdered on a rugby field today.”