University at Buffalo Rugby Football Club

The University at Buffalo Rugby Football Club (UBRFC) is run through the State University of New York at Buffalo Recreational and Intramural Services. The Sports Club Program at UB is under the management of the Student Association. The club participates in the sport of rugby union.[1]

UB Rugby has competed in the East conference of Division 1-A rugby since the fall of 2014.[2] UB Rugby joined the East Conference because they wanted to improve and play the highest competition possible.[3] The East Conference includes some of the best college rugby teams in the country, such as Army, Penn State, and Kutztown.[4] UB is led by Head Coach Mike Hodgins.

The University at Buffalo Rugby Football Club competes in Division 1 of the New York State Rugby Conference. In the fall of 2007 the UBRFC started a Division 3 team playing in the Excelsior West Division of the New York State Rugby Conference. UB rugby won four championships of the NYSRC Upstate Division 1 Tournament.[5]

History

The UBRFC was founded in 1966.[6] It was originally called the Queens Rugby Football Club. In 1971 the club gave up its ties to the university and became the Buffalo Old Boys men's club. In 1976, a university team was again organized as the "Mad Turtles" playing within the New York Upstate Rugby Union (URU). Team jersey colors were sky blue with a band of red-white-navy-white-red. The team negotiated a sponsorship in 1980 with Koch's Brewery of Dunkirk, N.Y. and changed their team name to the "UB Black Horses", named after Koch's Black Horse Ale. The uniforms changed at this time to solid black with an embroidered Black Horse Ale patch on the left chest, In 1984 the sponsorship ended when the UB Student Association funded the team and they again became the "Mad Turtles", switching colors to crimson jerseys with crimson and gold hooped sleeves. At this time they were also an official member of the New York State Rugby Conference (NYSRC). In the 1984 season the team claimed a victory in the NYSRC Collegiate Championship, qualifying for USA Rugby's Collegiate National Championship for the first time.

In 2010, the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by American Rugby News capturing the NYSRC title. UB Rugby had another successful season in 2011, reaching the playoffs, and defeating Southern Connecticut to reach the quarterfinals.[7] In the 2012-13 season, UB Rugby had three players make the All-Empire Conference Team.[8]

In 2014, UB Rugby has a successful beginning to its participation in the D1-A East Conference, notching up a win against Notre Dame College.[9]

Location

The UBRFC Mad Turtles play all of their home games at the "Rugby Pitch" located at the Ellicott Complex on the UB's North Campus.[10]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/recreation/sportsclubs
  2. ↑ "Buffalo Joins Rugby East", This Is American Rugby, April 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Buffalo, Navy Win", Goff Rugby Report, Alex Goff, August 31, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Buffalo Joins Rugby East", This Is American Rugby, April 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Buffalo Rugby, Empire Rugby Conference. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ Buffalo Rugby, Empire Rugby Conference. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  7. ↑ "BUFFALO, HARVARD ADVANCE TO QUARTERFINALS", Rugby Today, Pat Clifton, April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "ERC Selects 2012-2013 All-Conference team", Binghamton University Rugby, June 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Buffalo, Navy Win", Goff Rugby Report, Alex Goff, August 31, 2014.
  10. ↑ http://www.ubrugby.org/pitch
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