Born: 7 February, 1955 in Philadelphia, USA
Died: 21 October, 2021 in Rhode Island, USA 


Kathy Flores was a gifted player and pioneering coach who gave so much to the game of rugby in the United States.

Flores started playing rugby as a 23-year-old at Florida State University in 1978 and soon became a staunch advocate for women in an otherwise male-dominated sport as well as excelling on the pitch in her own right as a number eight.

Flores captained USA in their first-ever test against Canada in November 1987, scoring a try in the 22-3 win, and remained synonymous with rugby throughout the next four decades until her passing at the age of 66.

The Philadelphian was a member of the Women’s Eagles team that defeated England 19-6 in the final of the inaugural women’s Rugby World Cup in Cardiff in 1991 and featured in the second Rugby World Cup three years later, appearing at flanker and hooker.

Despite retiring as a player in 1998, Flores’ relationship with Rugby World Cup did not end there, as she also coached the Women’s Eagles to fifth-place finishes at the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. She was the first woman and first woman of colour to lead a national team.

Flores made the same transition from player to coach with Californian club, Berkeley All-Blues, with whom she won 11 national championships from 1994-2010. In 2014 she assumed the head coaching position at Brown University, one of the first varsity programmes in the USA. 

She passed away in Providence, Rhode Island, after a year-long battle with cancer in October 2021. Flores is best known as a beloved teammate, coach, mentor and friend, as well as a fierce advocate for women’s equity and access to rugby.