Emil Signes
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| name = Emil Signes
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| coachteams1 = USA Men's 7s (head coach)
| coachteams2 = USA Women's 15s (asst coach)
| coachteams3 = USA Women's 7s (head coach)
| coachyears1 = 1987–90
| coachyears2 = 1991–93
| coachyears3 = 1996–2005
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| university = MIT, Lehigh University, Rutgers University
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Emil Signes (born 1940) is a former coach for the United States national rugby sevens team.{{cite news|last1=Walker|first1=Dave|title=WHERE EAGLES SCRUMALL-STAR RUGBY HOPEFULS TO INVADE TEMPE|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1993-01-13/news/where-eagles-scrumall-star-rugby-hopefuls-to-invade-tempe/|access-date=9 June 2014|work=Phoenix New Times|publisher=Phoenix New Times, LLC|date=Jan 13, 1993}}{{cite web|last1=Signes|first1=Emil|title=Emilito's Rugby Pages|url=http://emilito.org/rugby/index.html|access-date=8 June 2014}}{{cite book|last1=Buckley Jr.|first1=James|title=Island Sports|date=May–June 1996|publisher=Islands Publishing Company|location=Santa Barbara, CA, US|page=130|edition=Volume 16, Number 3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7aFHC7So-NsC&q=%22emil+signes%22+rugby&pg=PA130|access-date=9 June 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Meixell|first1=Ted|title=World Cup Rugby 3 Area Sites Used To Help Select U. S. Ladies Team For 1994 Competition|url=https://www.mcall.com/1991/12/19/world-cup-rugby-3-area-sites-used-to-help-select-u-s-ladies-team-for-1994-competition/|access-date=9 June 2014|work=The Morning Call, Lehigh Valley's Newspaper|date=December 19, 1991}} He also facilitated the inclusion of the rugby sevens in the Olympics, due to his promotion of women's rugby worldwide.{{cite news|last1=Goff|first1=Alex|title=Why Should We Thank This Man for Rugby Getting in the Olympics|agency=Rugby Magazine|publisher=SIRC Sports Publishers|date=October 2009}}. He is the founder and coach of Atlantis, an invitational 7s rugby team for developing rugby talent among both men and women.{{cite web|title=Interview with Emil Signes|url=http://www.richmondrugby.net/emil.html|publisher=Rugby Magazine|access-date=9 June 2014}}
Women's rugby
Signes is often referred to as "The Emperor"{{cite web|last1=Sall|first1=Sarah|title=A Party Fit For an Emperor...Join Us in Honoring Emil Signes!|url=http://www.epru.org/news/party-fit-emperorjoin-us-honoring-emil-signes|website=epru.org|publisher=Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union|access-date=8 June 2014}} for his work growing and expanding the game of rugby sevens worldwide. In the official magazine for the first Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993, he was profiled among leaders in rugby sevens and called an "international legend."{{cite news|last1=Nicholls|first1=Fintan|title=The Art of Sevens|work=The Official Magazine, Rugby World Cup Sevens|publisher=Richard Davis|date=1993}} With regard to the inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics: {{Blockquote|"Rugby would not be an Olympic sport without the women, and women would not have an international sevens presence were it not for one man – Emil Signes."|Alex Goff (American rugby sports writer and commentator), 2009}} This is in line with the International Olympic Committee's focus of advancing the cause of women in sport.{{cite web|title=Making Progress: Seeking Gender Equality in Sport|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/women_and_sport/IOC-FOCUS-FINAL-JULY-2013-ENG.pdf|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=8 June 2014}}
Coaching of coaches
Signes has earned other nicknames: For having coached numerous players that went on to become coaches, as well as for having coached both parents and their children, Signes was given the nickname of "Grandcoach" by Paddy McNally, Northern Hemisphere Referee Selector for the Sevens World Series.{{cite web|last1=Signes|first1=Emil|title=Grandcoach Emilito|url=http://emilito.org/rugby/grandcoach/Emil%20Signes%20Grandcoach.html|website=emilito.org|access-date=9 June 2014}} At the 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia, 18 of the 24 teams in attendance were coached by players that had formerly played on one of Signes's teams.{{cite news|last1=Goff|first1=Alex|title=Emil Signes: Grandcoach of Them All|work=Rugby Magazine|publisher=SIRC Sports Publishers|date=2011}} Many of the players coached by Signes have subsequently gone on to coach national rugby teams themselves, including Al Caravelli, Tom Billups, Kathy Flores, Pete Steinberg and Alex Magleby.
Signes began coaching Princeton University Women's Rugby Club in 2004, helping them that year to the USA Rugby Collegiate Final Four.{{cite news|last1=Bresnahan|first1=Mike|title=They're Making Ends Meet|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-30-sp-rugby30-story.html|access-date=9 June 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 30, 2004}} He led the team to two Ivy League championships (2005 and 2013).{{cite news|last1=Wood|first1=Stephen|title=SPORTS: Women's club rugby: Tigers hold off Brown to win Ivy title|url=http://thedailyprincetonian.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/sports-womens-club-rugby-tigers-hold-off-brown-to-win-ivy-title/|access-date=9 June 2014|work=The Daily Princetonian|publisher=The Daily Princetonian Publishing Co.|date=April 2, 2013}} He also coached Princeton in the inaugural USA Sevens Women's Collegiate Rugby Championship.{{cite news|last1=Zumbach|first1=Lauren|title=Princeton University women to tackle collegiate rugby tourney|url=http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/03/princeton_university_women_to.html|access-date=9 June 2014|work=NJ.com|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=March 28, 2011}} Signes retired from coaching 15s rugby in 2013 after serving as head coach to Princeton for 9 years, although he still works as a coaching consultant.
Signes founded Atlantis US Sevens Rugby in 1986. Between 1986 and mid-2014 Atlantis – men, women, boys, girls - has fielded 206 squads at 145 tournaments in 31 different countries. In their spring 2014 efforts, Atlantis Women won the Madrid Sevens (Spain) and the Atlantis High School Boys won the Surfside Sevens (NJ).{{cite news|last1=Siano|first1=Stephen|title=EMIL SIGNES' COACHING CAREER: A SUMMARY|url=http://www.atlantisrugby.com/about-atlantis/emil-signes-coaching-career-summary|access-date=20 September 2014|website=atlantisrugby.com|publisher=Atlantis Rugby Corporation|date=August 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921045450/http://www.atlantisrugby.com/about-atlantis/emil-signes-coaching-career-summary|archive-date=21 September 2014|url-status=dead}} Signes continues to coach rugby sevens through Atlantis, helping players of both genders to develop and compete for positions on the USA Sevens National Teams.{{cite web|last1=Esposito|first1=Stephanie|title=Rugby is ever growing|url=http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-rucks/2012/07/rugby-is-ever-growing-2/|website=chicagonow.com|publisher=The Chicago Tribune|access-date=9 June 2014}}{{cite news|last1=GRR Staff|title=Atlantis Women Win in Madrid|url=http://www.goffrugbyreport.com/women-senior-rugby/atlantis-women-win-madrid|access-date=9 June 2014|work=Goff Rugby Report|publisher=Alex Goff|date=June 6, 2014}}{{cite web|title=U.S. Development Players To Play Victoria 7s as Atlantis |url=http://usarugby.org/mens-sevens-news/item/us-development-players-to-play-victoria-7s-as-atlantis |website=usarugby.org |publisher=USA Rugby |date=June 6, 2014 |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714192133/http://usarugby.org/mens-sevens-news/item/us-development-players-to-play-victoria-7s-as-atlantis |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}
In August 2017, for his tireless efforts, the championship trophy for the USA Rugby Men’s and Women’s Club 7s National Championships are now known as the Emil Signes Cup.{{cite web | url=https://www.usarugby.org/2017/08/signes-recognized-at-club-7s-nationals-championship-cup-named-in-his-honor/ | title=| USA Rugby }}
Author
In addition to his work coaching, Signes has authored numerous articles in Rugby Magazine (now Rugby Today). Among these is a handbook called Sevens Special, which he authored both "to provide the rugby public with an in-depth analysis of sevens so that (they) may intelligently spread the word" and "to help (players and coaches) learn about the game and play it better."{{cite web|title=Sevens Special|url=http://rugby7.com/emil100.asp|publisher=Rugby Magazine|access-date=30 April 2015}}
Signes was honored with induction to the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2015.{{cite web|title=USRFF Announces US Rugby Hall of Fame Class|date=16 March 2015|url=http://www.goffrugbyreport.com/news/usrff-announces-us-rugby-hall-fame-class|publisher=Goff Rugby Report|access-date=1 May 2015}}