Tough as Nails
Clint Pfeifer went from a prep athlete with potential, to rugby standout at Oregon State
As an athlete at North Salem High School, Clint Pfeifer was a guy with obvious talent, but also an issue with injuries. The curly haired, wholesome young man with an unassuming smile could hit like a ton of bricks.
As football player and wrestler for North Salem High School, Clint showed he had what it takes, performing in his weight class at district wrestling tournaments beginning as a freshman. He was also a first-line player in each of his four football seasons.
But Pfeifer broke his arm during football of his junior year—failed to get it diagnosed until wrestling season—and hurt it again that spring after (unwisely) cutting off the cast. He ended up having to start football his senior year with a cast, and then wore a hard brace as a running back and linebacker for the Vikings. In some regards, it was sort of a disappointing end to his prep career.
But as Clint tells the story, a distraction he was intrigued by his freshman year would be the key to his athletic future. In fact, the diversion—a real, international sport—became an obsession.
As he likes to tell the story, Pfeifer was at a post wrestling tournament celebration as a freshman, reveling and watching rugby on television.
“My friend and I were watching… saying how much fun it looked,” recalls Clint.
“Little did we know that the captain of the high school rugby club was on our wrestling team.”
The rest, says Pfeifer, is history.
Clint went to the first practice for the prep team, found he really loved it, and in his words “never stopped playing.”
Pfeifer and his collection of rugby teammates from North Salem, McKay and perhaps a half-dozen total schools played together every spring through high school. They played Olympic style rugby, with seven players on a side. At first, he looked at rugby as a training exercise.
“Rugby started for me as just a way to get better at football and wrestling in high school,” explains Clint.
“I used it as a way of perfecting my form and really understanding how to control an opponent.”
But as he approached the end of his high school career, Pfeifer realized he wanted to play rugby in college instead of pursuing lower-division football at a place like Linfield or George Fox University.
A visit from members of the Oregon State rugby team directed Clint to his final call.
“I was still debating… but them coming out and talking to me kinda helped make my decision.”
Clint had already been accepted to Oregon State academically, and was encouraged by the positive comments from the OSU rugby players about his game, so that more or less settled things by the end of the spring in 2019.
Juwan Johnson is the Oregon State rugby coach. He is an OSU alumnus and a two-time all-American. Johnson and the veteran players helped teach Clint the ropes when it comes to college-level rugby, which is governed by USA Rugby.
Pfeifer did watch and learn during his first two seasons with the team—the second of which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He learned how to play the traditional, 15 players-on-a-side version of rugby, which is the type of choice in the fall. He refined his decision-making skills, which are vital in playing a sport that sometimes looks like mass chaos to the untrained eye.
Clint’s efforts earned him accolades in the midst of the pandemic.
“The regular season was canceled my sophomore year (in 2020-21),” says Clint.
“But they (USA Rugby organizers) had a national all-star tournament, and I made the Pacific Northwest team, made up of players from eight teams in the region.”
The team finished third nationally.
The national finish and Clint’s recognition led to his being named as team captain for the Oregon State squad for his junior year. And with that prestigious position also comes a scholarship. He was part of a deep, experienced team that won the league championship during the 7s team season in the spring, and finished sixth in the nationals played in Atlanta.
This past year, in his senior season, Pfeifer showed his appreciation for a second-straight stint at captain by putting together a fantastic year with a relatively inexperienced OSU squad that had lost a large number of players to graduation. Clint led the team in scoring, with 21 tries (5 point rugby “touchdowns”) rushing for Oregon State.
While primarily a center for the squad, Clint also played some important minutes for the team as a “scrum half”—a halfback inserted in the middle of the scrum, which is a restart of play when the teams forwards are locked together. The scrumhalf is essentially the QB of the team during the snap of the ball from the scrum—making passing decisions to get the ball out for a run at the goal line.
Pfeifer is appreciative of the faith the coach has had in his leadership on the field.
“Even though I'm not the largest man on the field (6-0, 192 pounds), the coach chose me to be captain for my high rugby knowledge and IQ. He also loved how I could ‘Read the field before making decisions,’” says Clint somewhat proudly.
“The coach had always seen me as a leader on the field in being both vocal and in my play.”
A coach from Clint’s prep past was on hand for his last game of the 2023 season. Longtime North Salem assistant coach Troy Walker—now head coach at Lebanon High—was there to watch the guy he always loved on the field, and was decidedly impressed.
“So cool—he’s such a great kid,” said Coach Walker with evident enthusiasm.
Pfeifer has just one more term left of rugby eligibility, but he intends to make the most of it in the fall with a young, but improving 15 squad. He expects the team to be a national contender again in short order.
When he finally leaves the Corvallis campus next winter in his fifth year, Clint will depart not only with a Construction Engineering Management degree, but deep respect for the game that helped him receive that diploma.
He isn’t shy about sharing the lessons he has learned from playing rugby for so many years.
“Rugby values teamwork, discipline and respect.,” says Clint firmly.
“The sportsmanship is stronger than any sport I have ever played; you go for 80 minutes—colliding and hitting the other team, then sharing food and drink right afterwards like nothing happened.”
Pfeifer also loves the need for each individual player on a rugby squad— and the indispensability of individuals for success on the field.
“You have to be both strong and very well-conditioned to play this sport and know how to make smart decisions when you get tired. The lack of padding is also a preference of mine, when both you and the opposing player aren't wearing pads, it makes both of you more intelligent and careful going into contact.”
And finally, Clint has determined there is no more cohesive sport than rugby.
“Being a year-round sport, the bond you have with your team needs to be very strong; our team sees each other about two times a week outside of rugby… we really do see ourselves as a family, which is something I didn't feel with other sports.”
As for his future, Pfeifer has included rugby in his plans—up to about the age of 30.
“Even though it is hard on my body I enjoy it too much to want to stop while I'm still playing at a high level,” says Clint with complete honesty.
“I just recently tried out and made the team for the Salem Sharks Academy team to see if I have what it takes to keep climbing to higher levels of rugby.”
Regardless of the year he finally calls it a rugby career, Pfeifer is clear that the game will always be a part of who is he as an individual.
“This sport has definitely given me leadership skills that I will use in my future career,” he declares.
“(Rugby) has made me a more disciplined person, pushing me to my limits while keeping me mentally strong… giving me a team and a goal to work towards.”
And that is why—in the grand scheme of life— sports matter.