This coming Saturday sees an Anniesland xv take on a touring Wildcats team from Arizona State University
Sheriff Inglis has been their trail

A Quick History: The Wildcats Since 1969

In the fall of 1969, a visiting professor from New Zealand found
several young Wildcat student athletes who decided the flag of rugby
should be planted in Southern Arizona. And so it was. A group of
students, along with their New Zealand mentor, grabbed 20 young men
who were ready for adventure, and rugby at the University of Arizona
was born.

The early days were "pioneer" in nature. The team traveled by private
car to destinations ranging from Utah to California. To play in the
early days for U of A Rugby, was to be truly a road warrior.

The first game in Tucson was played in November 1969 when the Los
Angeles Rugby Club took on Arizona on a makeshift field at Rincon High
School.




One of the early Wildcats was Bob Blakey, a law student who went on to
found the Phoenix Rugby Club. That was a significant development
because when the Phoenix RFC was born, Arizona had its first
"in-state" opposition.

The 70's were a period of expansion for the sport in America as well
as on the U of A campus. The club generally fielded 25 – 30 players
for practice and per match. In 1973, the team ventured to the then
far-flung Santa Barbara Tournament, and hoped to establish the
University's program as one of the up and coming in the western United
States.

In 1974, Arizona raised eyebrows in California as the club, led by
flyhalf Brad Cox, finished with a 4-1 record at the then prestigious
Santa Barbara Tournament. Their only loss was in double overtime to
Snake River, Idaho. On that Arizona side was a freshman fullback
named Dave Sitton, who has been coaching the program for over three
decades.

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The club settled into Himmel Park, a delightful midtown Tucson venue,
which would serve as its home field, and spiritual base, for over 15
years. In the late 80's, rugby at the U of A, and in the city-based
club programs, had grown so large that the sport was relocated to
Estevan Park. The City of Tucson transformed a dilapidated baseball
diamond into a highly regarded rugby facility.

By 1975, rugby was growing at such a clip, that the Phoenix Rugby
Club, and the U of A club combined to form the Arizona Rugby Union.
The Wildcats and Phoenix RFC welcomed Tempe, ASU, and the Old Pueblo
Club to make a circuit of five a reality. For a brief time, a
ferocious rivalry was established between the Wildcats and the new
club, the Old Pueblo Lions (comprised of many former Wildcats,
including Peter Jorgenson and Old Pueblo Club founder Dan Cross). As
club rugby grew mature, the gap between the clubs and colleges
necessitated the split into separate divisions.

In 1978, the Wildcats enjoyed the move into college rugby, winning the
Michelob Continental Rugby Classic held at the U of A, and finishing
in the middle of their new conference affiliation – Southern
California, behind then powerhouses UCLA and Long Beach State.




Also in 1978, the Wildcats began a tradition, which still marks their
program as a leader in today's rugby world. U of A toured Wales and
England, establishing ties in the United Kingdom. During that tour,
the club befriended Clive Evans and Jon Evans. Clive is an important
fixture in the Maesteg, Wales, rugby community as well as the Welsh
Rugby Union. Jon Evans was the head coach of the Cardiff Rugby Club,
and a well-regarded sports professor in Wales. They had a great
influence on all of the Wildcats on that tour, especially head coach
Dave Sitton.

That tour set up subsequent tours to Scotland and Ireland, and then in
1983 down to New Zealand and Australia. Associate head coach Mike
Veth has taken charge of the overseas tours program, and molded U of
A's travels into one of the wonders of college rugby. To this day,
the Wildcats tour overseas every two years.

Under the leadership of eventual All American Ryan Kelly, the team
participated in post-season play for the first time in 1986. Then
followed that with two more appearance in 87 and 88. Another All
American, Simon Mathews, helped Arizona to a 1987 upset win over the
University of California at Berkeley in the San Diego Tournament (Cal
losses are rare!).

The early 90's posed a great challenge for the Wildcats. The degree
of sophistication and commitment by college athletes to rugby was
increasing. As a result, the team and its alumni needed to direct all
resources to bettering the club. The U of A Rugby Alumni Association
was formed, and it is the Alumni Association to this day that provides
the key funding for travel and other team needs.




As the program expanded, it was necessary to add quality coaches to
the staff. New Zealand native David King, and a host of others burst
onto the scene. The catalog of qualified and dedicated volunteer
coaches continues to be filled.

In the late 90's, a group of student athletes decided to challenge
Arizona's standing. A then sophomore hooker named Paul Enegren helped
galvanize the entire club, and made a vow that the team would win the
SoCal Conference for the first time in 1997. They did. The Wildcats
have won the SoCal Conference Championship again in 1999, 2000, and
were co-champions in 2003.

Since its most humble beginnings, the University of Arizona rugby
program has blossomed into one of the more prominent programs in the
United States. The Club now boasts over 100 active members, including
a 12-member volunteer coaching staff. The Club enters four teams in
two separate Unions. The intercollegiate program is a powerful member
of the Southern California Collegiate Conference, and has been in that
organization, and its predecessor, since 1978.

Arizona was a co-founder of the Arizona Rugby Union and left the
organization in 1980. However, the team has grown so that now it
places two "Union" sides in the ARU and faces men's clubs throughout
the states of Arizona and Nevada.

In 2005, Arizona's "Union Squad" won the Union's "Academic Division",
featuring the University of Arizona, Thunderbird Graduate School, and
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

In the 2005/06 Season, the Wildcat newcomer program will move to an
associate membership in the Arizona Rugby Union. The team will
compete against the academic affiliated clubs in the state of Arizona,
and play matches against Division I "C" programs and Division II
schools throughout the Southwest, including universities in New
Mexico, Nevada, and Southern California.



The team travels more than any collegiate program in the United
States, with major trips each fall and spring. The Club has toured
overseas 11 times since 1978, and has played matches as far south as
Otago, New Zealand; and as far north as Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Club is supported by the University of Arizona Associated
Students, businesses that are community leaders, its former rugby
playing alumni. The Club also stages a significant number of
fundraisers throughout the year, including a midsummer golf tournament
(the Michelob Strong and Tough), and player participation programs,
including the PGA event – the Chrysler Classic of Tucson.

With the assistance of former All American Ryan Kelly and others, the
Alumni Association is emerging as an important part of the overall
structure of the Club. The Alumni Association helps raise awareness
of the club and, of course, tackles funding issues.

Twice in the last decade, the University of Arizona program has been
named the "Best Organization on Campus" and two of the team's members
have been elected student body president at the University of Arizona.
Both Mike Proctor and Thad Avery were dubbed by their fellow students
as the "Top Leader on Campus."

Student leadership is an important part of the Arizona Rugby Club
program. With the help and guidance of the coaching staff, student
athletes assume many responsibilities of the Clubs operations. Also
the Club Sports Department at the University of Arizona has emerged as
a national leader. The Wildcats have been grateful for the support of
Mary O'Mahoney, who is the Club Sport Coordinator at the University of
Arizona.

The intercollegiate squad has won four SoCal Conference championships
in the league's first eight years, and hopes to include a fifth
championship in 2006.

The team boasts seven recent All Americans, including two-timers Simon
Matthews, Chris Kron, and Jonathon Gray; as well as 2003 All Americans
Tom Dolan and Joe Schmitt.


Five Wildcats have played for the United States Eagles, Including Al
Lakomskis; another Arizona All American, who started at wing for the
Eagles during the World Cup qualifiers in 2002.

It is estimated that over 1,200 student athletes have participated in
the University of Arizona rugby program since its inception. They can
all be proud of what has been achieved by the Club and their
contributions to the University of Arizona rugby's success.

This article was originally posted on 10-Mar-2007, 12:13 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 10-Mar-2007, 12:22.