| Full name | Wake Forest University Rugby Football Club | ||
| Founded | 1973 | ||
| Union | Atlantic Coast Rugby League | ||
| Grounds | Wake Forest University, | ||
| Coach |  Patrick Kane
| ||
| Competitions | USA Rugby South | ||
| |||
Wake Forest University Rugby Football Club is a men's sports club at Wake Forest University. The club is part of the USA Rugby South and the North Carolina Rugby Union, playing their home games on the Wake Forest campus in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Founded in 1973, the club plays in Division II collegiate rugby. WFURFC is also a member of the Atlantic Coast Rugby League formed in 2011.
History
editThe Wake Forest Rugby Club was founded in 1973 with very little growth for much of it's first decade. As of 1979, the club was only a city side team in which college students played alongside Winston-Salem residents. This was before the formation of the Triad Rugby Football club, a Men's club. In its last season as a city side club, the roster included such alumni as Grant Fuhr and Woody Mendenhall.
In 1980-81, the Triad Dogs were formed and Wake Forest Rugby become an all-college team. In the 1981-82 seasons, the club was still without a Head Coach and was coached solely by Captains Rex Gilette and Jim Atherton. This season was seen as the turning point for the club as they began their season 6-0, finished 3rd at a tournament featuring the schools of the ACC, and named 3 players to the the NCRU All-star team.
Before the 2003-2004 seasons, the club found itself in a fragile state and had difficulty fielding a full side of 15. Under the new direction of current Coach and Director of Men's Rugby Patrick Kane, the club began to grow rapidly and see marked improvement on the pitch. As a Wake Law student, Pat was able to spend significant time with the team and help to recruit new players. Under this organized leadership, the club has continued to gorw and improve annually. After a strong appearance in the DIII South Final Four in 2007, the club made the risky move to DII in the off season. This jump marked a major turning point for the club, allowing it better competition and more exposure.
In 2009, Wake Forest Rugby joined the Carolinas Rugby League, featuring prominent collegiate clubs from North and South Carolina of both DI and DII.
Coaching and Leadership
editThe current Head Coach and Director of Men's Rugby is Patrick Kane, a graduate and former player from Holy Cross University. Pat volunteered to coach the club during his enrollment in the Wake Forest Graduate Law School and upon his graduation in 2007 he decided to stay on and oversee the activities and direction of the club as the Director of Men's Rugby. Patrick Kane is also credited with the formation of the club Board of Directors which has provided an increase in fund raising and guidance for the long-term direction of the club. The Board now provides a scholarship to outstanding high school rugby players who have advanced the sport in their community and wish continue at the collegiate level. Pat will resume the position of Head Coach in the Fall 2009 season. He is now a lawyer in Greensboro, NC and lives there with his wife and two children.
In 2006, the club was joined by another law student, Barry Horewitch, a former hooker and graduate of Iowa University. Barry specializes in forwards play and became the Forwards Coach until succeeding Patrick Kane in the Head Coaching job upon Pat's graduation. Barry graduated from law school in 2009 and will return to the club in the future for coaching clinics as a technical consultant.
During the Spring 2009 season, Alex Lucas joined the club as a athletic trainer and fitness coach. Alex is a South Africa native and is familiar with the game of rugby, allowing him to provide rugby-specific workouts for the team. Beginning in the Fall 2009 season, Alex with join Patrick Kane in coaching the team on a more regular basis as the Assistant Head Coach. The Coaching Staff also includes Assistant Coaches Brad Havins and Dave Poplaski.
The Wake Forest Rugby Club holds annual elections in which the members of the club elect the student officers that will be responsible for the every day management of the club in the following year. The officer positions include the club President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Match Coordinator, Publicity Director, Social Coordinator, and Alumni Liaison. Since the club's revival, the role of club President has been very crucial to the development of the WFURFC. Past Presidents that have been vital to the club include Achilleas Patounas, Greg Wagner, and Matt Gottbrecht. The 2009-2010 President is Michael Duffy.
Wake Forest Rugby is overseen and aided by WFU Club Sports Director Max Floyd and Faculty Advisor Dr. Bill Marcum.
Achievements
editOn June 20, 2009 Wake Forest entered two teams in the Triad Pour House 7's tournament in Greensboro, NC. The teams were comprised of both current players and alumni. The Wake-B squad managed to win the Open Division Championship with last minute wins in the semifinal against Roanoke and again in the final against Fort Bragg.
At the close of the Spring 2009 season, Wake Forest won the 1st Annual Rugby Blackout tournament hosted by the College of Charleston and featuring teams from North Carolina State University, the College of Charleston, and the University of North Carolina.
To open the Spring 2009 season, the club competed in the 2nd Annual ACI tournament, featuring several teams from the schools that compose the Atlantic Coast Conference. While the tournament is not in any way affiliated with the ACC, it allows the club rugby teams from those schools to compete against each other in a rare opportunity. Due to a strange tournament set up, Wake Forest failed to win the tournament while still finishing with the only undefeated (4-0) showing.
In Fall 2008, Wake Forest finished 3rd in the North Carolina Rugby State Tournament held in Danville, Virginia.
The Spring 2008 season marked the first season in Division II rugby for the WFURFC. After barely making the playoffs on a last-minute, lengthy penalty kick by Senior Tyler Eure to defeat NC St, the club went on to win against their first round opponent MTSU in Tennessee. They then advanced to the South Final Four where they defeated Georgia Tech in double-overtime. The following day, Wake Forest fell short to a strong ECU team in the South Final, ending the successful first season in DII.
Creed
editA Commitment to Excellence:
"The Wake Forest University Rugby Football Club provides Wake Forest students with the opportunity to play highly competitive intercollegiate athletics while pursuing an education at one of the nation’s elite academic institutions. The team is committed to furthering the reputation of Wake Forest University through the achievement of success, both on the rugby field and off, and the team prides itself on fostering camaraderie and respect among team members."[1]
Carolinas Rugby League
editOrganized for the Spring 2010 season, the Carolinas Rugby League features seven teams from North and South Carolina. The competing teams include the University of North Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, East Carolina University, Appalachian State University, and Wake Forest University. Each game will count equally, regardless of each team's DI or DII affiliation, and the clubs compete each spring to be the overall league champion. In addition, the top two finishers from Division II and the top Division I team will advance to their respective South college playoffs. The Carolinas Rugby League will also name an all-league team and an MVP. The current league commissioner is Andy Richards, the former UNC head coach[2].