Founded by six clubs in 1974, the Florida Rugby Union (FRU) is a Geographical Union (GU) that governs the Florida peninsula for USA Rugby.[1] The FRU has four divisions: Men's, Women's, Collegiate Men's, and Collegiate Women's.
| Abbreviation | FRU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1974 |
Region served | Florida, United States |
President | Dr. Kerri O'Malley |
| Website | www.FloridaRugby.org |
Men's clubs
editThere are currently twenty-one registered voting clubs in the Men's division.[2]
- Bay Area Pelicans
- Boca Raton Buccaneers
- Brevard Old Red Eye
- Central Florida Claymores
- Daytona Beach Coconuts
- Fort Lauderdale Knights
- Gainesville Hogs
- Jacksonville[1]
- Key West
- Miami[2]
- SWFL Hammerheads
- Ocala
- Okapi Wanderers
- Orlando Griffins
- Palm Beach Panthers
- Sarasota Surge
- South Florida
- Tallahassee
- Tampa Bay Krewe
- Trident
- Treasure Coast Armada
Women's clubs
editThere are currently four registered voting clubs in the Women's division.
- Jacksonville
- Fort Miami
- Orlando
- Tampa
Collegiate Men's clubs
editThere are currently twelve registered voting clubs in the Collegiate Men's division.
- Ave Maria University
- Eckerd College
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida International University
- Florida State University
- Millenia Atlantic University
- Saint Thomas University
- University of Central Florida
- University of Florida
- University of Miami
- University of North Florida
- University of South Florida
Previous clubs have included Florida Gulf Coast University.
Collegiate Women's clubs
editThere are currently nine registered clubs in the Collegiate Women's division.
- University of Florida
- Florida State University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Saint Thomas University
- University of Miami
- University of South Florida
- University of Central Florida
- Florida International University
- Eckerd College
Previous clubs have included Florida Gulf Coast University.
Leadership
editPresident
edit- John Clements (1974-77[3])
- Bill Crusselle (1977-78[3])
- Kevin Kitto (1978-82[3])
- Jim Millar (1984[3])[4]
- Bing Towne (1993-1995[5])
- Brian Brantley (1996[6][7]-1998)
- Ken Simmons (2000-2002)
- Mark Etue (2003-2006)
- John Devonport (2007-2010)
- Franklyn Williams (2011-2013)
- Dr. Kerri O'Malley (2014–2022)
- Richard Comisky (2022–2024)
- Dr. Kerri O'Malley (2024–Present)
Vice president
edit- Peter Gibson (1974)
- Vic Langley (1996[6])
- Richard Elliott (1996,[6] 2000)
- Brad Hanafourde (2000)
- Ian Henry (2019–2022)
- Jessica Premet (2019–2023)
- Mary Leigh Miller (2019–2023)
- Gonzalo Michanie (2022-2023)
- Kirk Swanner (2023-Present)
- Jennifer Fasano (2023-Present)
- James Woollcombe-Clarke (2023-Present)
- Michael Williams (2023-Present)
- Michael Gomez (2023-Present)
Secretary
edit- Roy Brewer (1974)
- James Bledsoe (1979)
- Joy Striepe (1996[6])
- Kevin Kitto (2000)
- Richard Comisky (2019–2021)
- Melissa Butler (2022–2023)
- Jennifer Joyce (2023-Present)
Treasurer
edit- Roy Brewer (1974)
- Dr. Stuart Roath (1996[6])
- Gerrardo Ferraris (2000)
- Steve Mommaerts (2005)
- Matthew Tierney (2019)
- Kiel McAuley (2020–2021)
- Dr. Jean-Marie Van Der Elst (2023)
- Patrick Murphy (2024-Present)
President Emeritus
edit- Dr. Kerri O'Malley (2022–2023)
- Richard Comisky (2024–Present)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "USA Club Rugby: Geographical Unions". usarugby.org/. Archived from the original on 2014-02-13. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- ^ "Clubs". floridarugbyunion.org Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "History of Rugby in Florida". Hammerhead Rugby 1st Annual Beerfoot Beach 7’s Tournament program. August 2003.
- ^ Jacobs, Scott (24 Feb 1984). "Ruggers earn shot at title". The Miami Hurricane. p. 9.
- ^ "Florida Rugby Union". Rugby Magazine. February 1995. pp. 47–49.
- ^ a b c d e Florida Rugby Union, Incorporated Articles of Incorporation, 1996
- ^ "Leadership". USARFU Rugbysouth D2 XVs Championship program. 13–14 April 1996.