April Alumnus of the Month: Harry McGee

Harry McGee is our April Alumnus of the Month

When did you play?

I started with the University of Michigan in 1974 and played into the 1980’s, except for my time spent in Bangladesh with the World Health Organization smallpox eradication program.

What position did you play?

I started as a hooker, and spent some time as a flanker, but after a while I settled into my most comfortable position as a prop.

What got you started?

One of my football teammates from high school actually had a brother that played rugby for the Cleveland Blues. One day they needed some players for their B-side game, so my football teammate and I were volunteered by his brother and thoroughly enjoyed it, although we were a bit lost at first. Unfortunately, I was unable to play any games as an undergrad student in college, but when I came to the University of Michigan for grad school, I immediately joined the club.  After playing at Michigan, I played in Atlanta when I worked for the CDC and eventually got with the Michigan State University team when a job brought me to Lansing. Obviously, I enjoyed my time with the Maize and Blue much more… 

What honors/awards did you receive?

I was honored that I could sing a few songs with the team but never awarded for any of them, although I think they all were worthy of Grammy’s, personally.  

What are your favorite memories/teammates?

During my time at Michigan, so many good men came and went, but there are a few in particular that stood out, namely two individuals and one group.  

The individuals are Jay Gore and Dave Weber.  It seemed to me that Jay started a tradition of leadership and excellence that grew exponentially with Dave and continues with those who have followed in their footsteps on the team to this day.  We expected to win and very often we succeeded, thanks to their efforts.  Granted, we had talent, but it was the leadership that made the difference. 

The Dadas are a special group and unfortunately not all of them are still with us today, but that bunch will always hold a special place in my heart. Among some of my earliest favorite memories were the third half at the Law school, compliments to an Ann Arbor police officer about his nice mustache, and Mr. Flood’s Party and Fraser’s.  So many of my teammates were not only talented players but accomplished gentlemen in other aspects of their lives that it leaves no doubt in my mind that there is a connection between skills built on the field and success in one’s career path.

What have you been doing since Michigan Rugby?

Since Michigan Rugby, I ended up in Lansing and helped coach the Michigan State University team (Michigan was always better), refereed for some years and now try to keep up with the club through Zeb.  Fortunately for Zeb, he lived in an era before cell phone cameras, so his ability to become the US Secretary of State is still somewhat realistic, since all the memories I hold dearly remain hidden to the general public. What a fun group of guys… 

I retired from the Michigan Department of Public Health in 2010 and since then have been an Institutional Ethical Review Board chair at Michigan State University. 

Congratulations to Harry as our Alumnus of the Month for April 2021!