Adrian College Release shared by National Collegiate Rugby
ADRIAN, Mich.—Adrian College director of athletics Michael Duffy has announced that men’s rugby will be a varsity program that will be added next fall to the Bulldogs’ intercollegiate lineup, which is nearing the 50 sports.
“We are extremely excited to bring another great opportunity to our students in the sport of rugby,” stated Duffy. “Rugby has such great tradition. This new program will be an outstanding addition to our lineup of sports here at Adrian College.”
A national search is currently under way for a head coach to lead the new Bulldogs men’s rugby program.
“We are early in our search for our men’s rugby coaching staff, but we already have some outstanding candidates in the pool that have applied,” Duffy said. “We have a great resource on campus in faculty member Scott Westfall as he is helping out in our search process as he played rugby for Colorado State.”
The Bulldogs will be part of National Collegiate Rugby. The athletics department is eyeing to join a conference such as the Great Lakes Collegiate Rugby Conference. There are 25 small-college men’s conferences under the auspices of the NCR.
“National Collegiate Rugby is pleased that Adrian College has decided to introduce rugby to its students. Rugby creates a culture for student-athletes who have a common mindset on bettering themselves both as an athlete and as a person,” Steve Cohen, founder of National Collegiate Rugby, said. “The team becomes a family sharing common values and goals that serves their development into adulthood. The camaraderie with teammates and opponents which is inherent to rugby will create friendships that will last a lifetime.”
The team will compete on the Back 40 field—a temporary site–near Nicolay Field (baseball) and AC Softball Complex until construction of a permanent site is built.
Recently, the College purchased the former United Auto Workers building on nearly 11 acres of property located at 1360 West Beecher Road. The plans are to develop an open field space on the north part of the property as it will be visible from U.S. Route 223 for rugby competition in time for the 2021-22 school year.
The 10,000-square feet UAW building also will be the permanent home for AC Men’s and Women’s Wrestling and Men’s and Women’s Soccer, complete with athletic coaches’ offices, practice spaces, locker rooms and conference areas.
#GoDawgs #BringyourAgame #rugby
About National Collegiate Rugby
Formed in 2020, NCR is committed to the development of college rugby by providing a wide array of services and governance for men’s and women’s collegiate rugby programs. NCR is proud to oversee nearly 15,000 men’s and women’s collegiate rugby players from about 600 programs across the United States.
NCR evolved from the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) which was founded in 2007. Originally created to support the growth and development of small college rugby, the organization now serves college rugby programs of all sizes.
NCR is an independent Delaware Non-Stock Non-Profit corporation operating under section 220526 of the Ted Stevens Act as an amateur sports organization with the exclusive jurisdiction over its constituent college players, coaches, and teams.
USA Rugby should be contacted for matters related to international amateur competition such as all matters pertaining to United States participation in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan-American Games, including representation of the United States in the games; and the organization of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan-American Games when held in the United States.
NCR provides student-athletes with opportunities, inspiration and recognition. The mission is to foster the on and off-field growth and development of collegiate rugby teams, student athletes and coaches.
