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The University of the South's Sewanee Rugby Club is a member of MidSouth Rugby, a local area union within the USA Rugby South Union. The South Union is a territory of USA Rugby, the controlling body of rugby football in the United States.

Sewanee Rugby participates as a Collegiate Division 3 Team. We are currently seeded #2 in the USA Rugby South territory and are MidSouth D3 Collegiate Champions.


The objectives of Sewanee Rugby are simple. We want to promote the game and the values of rugby football at every possible level. We want to introduce young people to this wonderful game . . .

That they can develop the skills and fitness to play a good competitive game at the highest level.
That they can practice and promote the noble traditions of fair play with honor, respect for opponents, and graciousness in winning or losing.
That they can test themselves against others and challenge themselves toward improvement.
That they can truly embrace the full meaning of team spirit.
That they can enjoy the unrivaled camaraderie that underscores the long tradition of rugby football.
That they will be better equipped mentally and physically to face life's challenges.
That they learn to appreciate, even more, the true value of family and school.

The Club is funded, in part, by a generous grant from the Office of Student Activities and by donations from parents and friends. We are actively seeking the support of corporate and local business sponsors who recognize the benefits of being associated with our successful Sewanee, University of the South Rugby program. If you are interested in learning more about our team and sponsorship opportunities, please post a message in our guest book or contact Coach Stringer at brianstringer@msn.com.

The Sewanee Rugby Story

If the urban legend about how rugby started in Sewanee is to believed, we have to take the words of Dan Rather (C '78) who reliably tells how a student from New Orleans, with a sketchy rugby history, started the club in 1975. Dan was on the football program but decided that a better time was to be had with a bunch of guys who played this crazy game with no pads or helmets, and whose celebrations made fraternity parties look like tea at the vicarage.

Dan's story is endorsed, in part, by Dennis Reed (C '78), owner of Action Graphics in Estill Springs, TN. Dennis says he was a sophomore football player and attended the first Sewanee Rugby game. Unfortunately, memories are dimmed with time, and he can't recall Sewanee's opponent.

Alumni and Friends: If you have a Sewanee Rugby memory, we'd love to hear from you!


Alumnus Patrick Mc Enerney shares this entertaining trip down memory lane . . .

 

Coach,

I was checking out the Rugby web pages and was very excited to see how far the program has come since I played back in the early 1980's. There were several of us that were members of the "Hall Of Shame" who had decided that football under coach Horace Moore wasn't working out and then got bored with no football in our lives. 
 

Rugby was a very big sport where I'm from in the Washington Metro area and many of my high school buddies were playing this great game. I was a friend with a great big guy named Walter Boddin who played for the Mobile Battleship and was a Sewanee ex football player who helped form the club in 1981. We were nicknamed the Motley Crew since we didn't even have uniforms.
 

We were made up of Ex football players, wrestlers, soccer players, and anyone who had athletic ability and liked to drink Beer!  Walter, myself and some of our team mates got our first sponsorship from a local beer distributor and we had an average of five kegs on the sideline of every game. The Rugby Ball was introduced around the same time.... great times and great parties. We even got a year book photo and recognition in 1982-1983 as a real sport...I've lost touch with many of my team mates but we were a decent team that could hold our own with anyone. The highlight was getting into the Tulane Mardi Gras Tournament, a weekend of great Rugby and evenings on Bourbon...Jeff Kibble and Mark Hazel from New Orleans, a great #8 and winger, were also very big getting the program started...I’ve got some old pics and articles you would enjoy!

That's my history note for the day; keep up the great work and when I get in town I'd enjoy watching a match! GO PURPLE HAZE!   

 

1982 Memory: We played MTSU and were very "even" back in the day, but I'll never forget a winger named Sam from MTSU that shared his unique ability to snort a line of Skoal after every match at the always-festive Rugby after party!

True story!

 

Patrick W. McEnerney

President

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