Muir to be inducted into USC Rugby Hall of Fame

Warren Muir was a dominant player for USC in the early 1970s

Warren Muir, who will be inducted into the USC Rugby Hall of Fame April 19, grew up in Massachusetts and entered West Point in 1965 where he played football under Paul Dietzel.

After enduring his plebe year, he followed Dietzel to the University of South Carolina after Dietzel took the reins of the USC football team.

Muir was a rambling fullback who Dietzel called “the toughest inside runner in college football” in 1969, the year Muir led the Gamecocks with 969 rushing yards. By the time Muir graduated in the Spring of 1970, he had racked up 2,234 rushing yards and had been named an All-American.

After a brief tryout with the New York Giants, Muir returned to Columbia where he took a job in construction estimating and project management. But he missed competitive sports. A friend told him about rugby, and he thought he’d give it a try.

Warren showed up to his first practice in 1972 where he met then Coach (and fellow hall-of-famer) Jim Wynn. Muir told Wynn he wanted to watch. Wynn responded: “You can’t learn by watching, you have to go in there and play. I’ll let you know when you screw up.”

Compact and powerful, Warren entered the fray and fell in love with the game.

During his first game, Muir rambled through several players and crashed into the try zone. But he forgot to touch the ball down, resulting in a penalty kick for the opposing team. It was the last time he made that error.

Over the next three years Muir found the try zone many times. He was one of the best players on those USC teams from the early 1970s that compiled an incredible 37-game home winning streak and competed for national championships. Muir also helped to start the Columbia Rugby Football Club and played for Olde Grey from 1975 to 1976 when he moved to Greenville to work for Michelin.

Muir played for the Greenville Rugby Football Club from 1977 to 1987 and helped transform that program into one of the most feared teams in the state. Along the way, his football celebrity brought more attention to the growing sport.  

In 1987, he moved to Aiken, South Carolina, retired from playing, and became a social member of the Augusta Maddogs. Muir retired in from work in 2017 and moved to Columbia in 2019 where he has remained connected with USC rugby. In 2024, the Carolina Rugby Foundation awarded him with a lifetime achievement award.

Warren has four grown children and nine grandchildren. His soulmate and wife of 20 years, Debi, passed away in 2016. They had no children.

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