Technical

Prior to joining the Golden Bears, Billups coached and played with the United States national team, the Eagles.

Billups took the helm of the Eagles program in 2002 after serving as interim head coach and in four seasons Billups logged 12 wins from 33 matches, including a 4-4 record at home.  Billups is the only Eagle coach to own a winning record against “Tier 2” and “Tier 3” countries, with a 12-8 mark.

Billups lead the Eagles to their best year in ever in 2003 with a 7-6 mark, an American record for single-season wins and winning percentage, and included the Eagles first victory in 16 years at the Rugby World Cup, against Japan, as well as a one-point loss against Fiji.

The USA second-place finish at the 2003 Pan-American Championship was its best-ever showing. 

Billups was an assistant coach during the 2000 season and 2001 seasons.  Billups was also the head coach of USA Rugby’s Collegiate All-American team in 2001, Tom guided ‘USA Universities’ to a 2-0 tour of Ireland in September of that year.

As a player, the USA hooker and captain earned 44 caps and represented the USA at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.  In the club ranks, Billups has played with Old Blues from Berkeley, California as well as professionally for Wales’s Pontypridd and London’s Harlequins in the late 1990s. 

The Iowa native has twenty years of experience as a professional strength and conditioning coach and is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and USA Weightlifting.