Team History

CUA Rugby's inaugural year, 1980, was largely the work of founders Dave Muirhead, Chris Kniesler, Pat Connor and Jim Shine. The men's and women's clubs attracted around 50 players.

The early years were often enlivened by Mike Water's renditions in his bagpipes of Scottish Highlands' tunes which brought a bit of class to the shabby pitch behind Spellman Hall. This young and vivacious group was on a quest for one thing: respect. With little experience Catholic Ruggers were notorious for overcompensating with vicious tackling and aggressive, loose play.

Catholic Rugby's first Coach, Tom Walsh is credited with bringing experience and stability throughout the team's struggling development. By 1994, the team had moved up to the Division I level. CUA’s undergrad population numbered about 2,500 then. They were the smallest Division I school by roughly 7,500 students. In 1996, this Division I team placed 2nd in the Potomac Rugby Union (PRU), earning a berth in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) playoffs in Princeton, NJ. After a gut-wrenching win over Virginia Tech by 2 points, CUA took 3rd place in MARFU and was ranked nationally at 14 in Division I competition. This victory earned them a spot in the Sweet 16 in San Diego, CA for the National Championship Tournament.

After some realignment and staff shuffling in the first beginning of the new millennium, CUA dropped to Division II and remained competitive. The Catholic University Men's Rugby Football Club has once again become an extremely competitive team, deeply rooted in the Catholic University community and the Potomac Rugby Union.

Photo courtesy of CUA Archives