I'm kneeling in the second row, directly above the ball.
I started playing rugby with the
Atlanta Renegades
(frequent Southeast Rugby Union Champions) in '82 while at Georgia Tech. I scored my first try here;
as a winger, I snagged a pass
missed by the outside center that fell right into my hands on the way across the try line.
I played with the Renegades from '82 - '85, when I graduated from Tech. The
highlight of this period for me was working my way up from a beginner, playing
"C"-side, to an "A"-side starter for the Division I 'Gades, in only 2 years.
A serious shoulder separation sidelined me for a few months, but then I got back
to it.
During my four years at Tech I also played
occasionally with the
Georgia Tech Rugby Football Club
.
I'm second from the left on the front row.
"Tell those rugby guys they can stay and
listen to Warren (Zevon) all night if they want, but they're gonna have to
get down off the tables . . ."
--Common refrain from friendly bar managers in Atlanta, circa
1983
While on breaks from college and for a little while after joining the
service I played for my hometown club, the
Battleship RFC
in Mobile, AL.
They're a cool team, and have a great annual tournament right on the grounds of
the
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
.
My most memorable experience with Battleship was playing out a tournament after breaking my nose
early on in the matches.
After graduation, I was stationed at Eglin Air Force
Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fl., where I played for the
Okaloosa RFC
for 4 years, and had some excellent times, like at the LSU Mardi Gras Tournament
'88 with Boris and Tom.
|
ORFC at the Mobile Battleship
Tournament, '86
(first on the left, kneeling) |
Me, Boris, and Tom Miller |
|
(NOTE: These videos will take a minute or two to buffer-up
in your media player) |
Video - Taking One For The Team
Taking a hit for the Okaloosa Rugby Football Club. I loved these kind of plays,
where you draw the defense in, take the hit, and dish the ball off to a teammate
who's running at pace. Duke, it's been 21 years, and I'm still pissed at you for
not scoring. You should've lowered a big right shoulder into those pussies and
dragged them across the try line.
|
Video - Stripping And Kicking
I ran into a maul, stripped the ball and dished it to Tom Collins, who passed to
David van Winkle. David took a big hit and made a beautiful pass. My buddy Sef
finally scored. Then I kicked the 2-point conversion after the try.
|
|
At Okaloosa, I captained the club to the 1988
Div II Deep South RFU championship
after a hard-fought match against the
Pensacola
lads.
In '89 I left for Spain and spent three years there. While it was
great, there was no rugby, only soccer, which I played to stay in shape, and toured Europe
twice with the Torrejon AFB soccer team in the United States Armed Forces Europe (USAFE)
championships.
Coming back to San Antonio, I hooked up with the
San Antonio Rugby Football Club
. I played fullback, and did some time as the SARFC back coach. After a couple of great seasons in which we went to the
state championships, I had a bit of bad luck and blew out a knee, playing out the
last 50 minutes of that game with a blown
ACL and torn MCL.
My next two military assignments were in small towns with
no clubs, so I took up racquetball to stay in shape. My current location,
Dayton, OH, has a small, Div II (barely) club, for whom I've played a few games.
Unfortunately, the institutionalized Loser mentality, childish politics,
and poseurs who've taken over key leadership positions
made the experience the worst of all my rugby days, so soccer and racquetball
are my gig now.