Bowdoin College Men's Rugby
Encyclopedia
Bowdoin College Men's Rugby
Founded in 1969, the Bowdoin Rugby Football Club has been a unique element in the Bowdoin community for over 30 years. Always characterized by strong camaraderie and teamwork, the Club has a strong tradition of success, having won the New England Championship in 1991 and posting 15 winning seasons and 10 playoff appearances in the past 20 years.
Bowdoin Ruggers have been selected to represent the New England Rugby Union, the Northeast Rugby Union as well as the All-American Rugby Team. Bowdoin Rugby's head coach – Rick Scala – has been the foundation of the club's success for the past 20 years – with an overall career winning percentage of more than 70%.
campus in the fall of 1969 when players from Portland, Maine introduced the sport to students. During those first years, Bowdoin and what would later become the Portland Rugby Football Club played together as part of the same club. Bowdoin President Roger Howell assisted with the coaching duties during the first seasons, having been exposed to the sport when he studied at St. John's College, Oxford, on a Rhodes Scholarship
. By 1973, there were enough players and college support for Bowdoin to have its own team.
for sportsmanship. The Bowdoin Men's Rugby Club won the award in 2007.
Founded in 1969, the Bowdoin Rugby Football Club has been a unique element in the Bowdoin community for over 30 years. Always characterized by strong camaraderie and teamwork, the Club has a strong tradition of success, having won the New England Championship in 1991 and posting 15 winning seasons and 10 playoff appearances in the past 20 years.
Bowdoin Ruggers have been selected to represent the New England Rugby Union, the Northeast Rugby Union as well as the All-American Rugby Team. Bowdoin Rugby's head coach – Rick Scala – has been the foundation of the club's success for the past 20 years – with an overall career winning percentage of more than 70%.
Team Origin
Rugby was first played on the Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
campus in the fall of 1969 when players from Portland, Maine introduced the sport to students. During those first years, Bowdoin and what would later become the Portland Rugby Football Club played together as part of the same club. Bowdoin President Roger Howell assisted with the coaching duties during the first seasons, having been exposed to the sport when he studied at St. John's College, Oxford, on a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
. By 1973, there were enough players and college support for Bowdoin to have its own team.
Rick Scala Coach's Award
The Rick Scala Award goes to the player(s) who most epitomizes the spirit of rugby each year. That player demonstrates the qualities of hard work, good sportsmanship, respect for the game, and dedication. The first player to receive the award was Andy Palmer in 1986. In 1998 the graduating seniors presented Bowdoin College with a plaque which is located in the trophy case of Farley Field House. On the plaque were listed all the recipients of the Coach’s Award. The award was then renamed The Rick Scala Coach’s Award.John Hayes Award
The John Hayes Award is given annually to one team in the New England Rugby Football UnionNew England Rugby Football Union
The New England Rugby Football Union is a stand-alone union for rugby union teams in New England.NERFU had been a local area union , and part of the Northeast Rugby Union , which is the governing body for three LAU's The New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) is a stand-alone union for rugby...
for sportsmanship. The Bowdoin Men's Rugby Club won the award in 2007.
Almanac
| Year | W | L | T | Captains | Rick Scala Award | Playoffs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Ike Singh | Dave Dilorenzi | |||||||
| 1986 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Andy Palmer | Brian Ferriso | ||||
| 1987 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Andy Palmer | Randy Finn | Andy Palmer | New England Finals | ||
| 1988 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Eric Swann | "Tumor" | ||||
| 1989 | 3 | 4 | 0 | Joe McLean | Joe McLean | Mitch Zuklie | Round 1 | ||
| 1990 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Mitch Zuklie | Eben Adams | Mike Daoust | Round 1 | ||
| 1991 | 8 | 1 | 0 | Eben Adams | Mike Daoust | Nils Larsen | Jeremy Segal | New England Champions | |
| 1992 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Matt Torrington | Brian Farnham | Matt Torrington | Brian Farnham | Justin Givot | Round 1 |
| 1993 | 6 | 2 | 0 | Jon Silverman | Erin White | Erin White | Alan Liang | Round 3 | |
| 1994 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Erin White | Tony Doerr | Matt Furtney | Nick Pierpen | Round 1 | |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Tom Talbot | Tom Talbot | Ben Wells | |||
| 1996 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Jason Johnson | Jason Klaitman | Jason Johnson | Jason Klaitman | ||
| 1997 | 1 | 4 | 0 | Lorne Norton | Justin Harrison | Lorne Norton | Justin Harrison | ||
| 1998 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Sean Kane | Jason Rooke | Sean Kane | Jason Rooke | Frank Hwang | |
| 1999 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Alex Gray | Dave Nakasian | Nubar Nakasian | The Seniors | ||
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Colin Dunn | Jason Pietrafitta | Colin Dunn | Jason Pietrafitta | Rob Mandle | |
| 2001 | 8 | 2 | 0 | Jason Pietrafitta | Billy Soares | Kris Bosse | Billy Soares | Matt Stanton | Northeast Finals |
| 2002 | 4 | 3 | 0 | Dennis Kiley | Dave Kirkland | Denis Kiley | Dave Kirkland | Ryan Brawn | Round 1 |
| 2003 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Warren Dubitski | Ryan Chisholm | Truc Huynh | |||
| 2004 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Truc Huynh | Tom Hazel | Luke Flanagan | Tom Hazel | Nick Reid | |
| 2005 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Luke Flanagan | Alex Castro | Adam Feit | Senior B-Side | Round 1 | |
| 2006 | Dan Jaffee | Dan "Brick" Cambell | Jody Mullis | Dan Campbell | |||||
| 2007 | Mark "Frogger" Fuller | Ryan "Hershey" Devenyi | Mark Fuller | Jeremy Bernfeld | |||||
| 2008 | Derek "Deek" Castro | Jeremey "Bessie" Bernfeld | |||||||
| 2009 | Cliff Webster | Ross Cowman | Kelsey Cole | Round 1 | |||||
| 2010 | Ben Messerly | Ryan Jewett | Reed Gilbride | Ryan Jewett | |||||
| 2011 | Bobby Shaw | Ian Brandon | New England Finals | ||||||