Denver Highlanders RFC
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[edit] How It All Started
Many years ago in 1968, in a fair city called Denver, the Denver Highlanders Rugby Football Club was founded. There was another rugby team in Denver called the Barbarians (who were never as good as they thought they were.) Some new players arrived and wanted to join this so called "elite athletic group". The boys were making progress on the Barbos and were expecting to play. Our problem was that after a scrimmage in which the players from the Kansas City Blues (Tim McNally, Neil Turner, Jerry Arni) did some damage to a few Barbos we decided to sing "Why Was He Born so Beautiful" and, left in all of the words and were asked to leave the bar. This was not at the bartenders request but at the request of the wife of the captain of the Barbos. So who was the real captain?
That ended our belief that we could be part of a team that had the audacity to change words to a Rugby song. So this group of rebels told the Barbos to perform an act upon themselves that sounded like it might be extremely uncomfortable (if not physically impossible) and proceeded to start their own team to be known henceforth as The Highlanders (for the record, within two years, the Highlanders were regularly thrashing the Barbos...heh,heh). Many a rugby team has won more games, championships, and accolades; but few have inspired the loyalty and adherence to the spirit of this most excellent sport, and none can match the legendary party prowess of the Highlanders
==1970's==From their original home field at Garland Park, the Highlanders dominated rugby play in Colorado in the seventies. John Kingman - 2d row - scored the winning try against AFA for our first ERRFU Championship in 1972 - He went over to NZ in the mid 70's where he was selected for his regional side and he was told he might have had a chance to try out for the All Blacks if he wasn't so old. Art Sands another club founder had returned from Africa where he had played rugby for one of the teams in Kenya called the Nakuru Athletic Club. He had just started veterinary college and saw a small blurb in the sports section of the Denver Post about a weekend rugby match. He went to watch and wandered up and down the side lines and heard there was a new team starting up called the Denver Highlanders.
[edit] 1980's
In the 80's the Highlanders came up with two fun tournaments that continue today and are the primary sponsor of these each year. The first is an All-Comers tournament, and this is exactly what it represents. Players from many metro clubs, including university and high school sides come to this open invitation event. It has proven to be an outstanding venue for all ruggers who love the game, and is played in an open format where all teams are mixed. The talent is dispersed to make it a competitive arrangement, and one where the players are able to meet new friends from many different club sides.
The Summer 7's is also a very special Highlander event. Each week as many as 10 sides compete in a fiercely competitive considering it's summer event. At the end of the summer, a winner is declared based upon there overall week to week performance. If you think you would like to or can play the physically demanding game of 7's our summer tourney is right for you!
[edit] 1990's
More recently in 1990 and 1991, the mighty Highlanders won the Colorado 15s Championship (The Eastern Rockies Rugby Cup). Scott Bertrand nailed the point after from one step inside the touch line and when asked after if he was nervous replied "No, I knew I had no shot of making that kick so what was there to be nervous about?"
1995 saw the boys bring home the Colorado 7s Championship as well as tournament wins at the Flamingo Sevens, Western National Sevens, and Super Summer Sevens League. The Highlanders were ranked ninth in the US in 1995 in 7s competition, traveling to Houston in July and besting the St. Louis Bombers 74-3!
The Highlanders also won the Mizzoula Maggotfest during this era, but the fun part was our hero Yippie and a few of our other sparkling personalities heard that the FBI was trying to capture a group of supremecists. They tried to lend assistance to the cause and get in close while consuming lots of fluids to keep their strength and didn't achieve their mission, but did manage to get their mug shots taken with the bored FBI guys.
[edit] The 21st Century
As the Denver Highlanders entered the 21st century our success on the field has continued, with successive ERRFU D2 championships in 1999, 2000, and 2001 At this time the mighty Highlanders moved to the upper division 1 competitiion and won the championship outright in the 2002 -2003 season.
