Old Blue RFC

[edit] A Columbia Founding

Founded by Columbia alumni William Smith, John Wellington, Pat Moran, Bill Campbell (elected first formal captain), Dick Donelli and Paul Zimmerman, the first Old Blue teams began fifteen’s play in the fall of 1963; and the club won its first championship when it captured the New York 7s on November 30, 1963. The Old Blue Rugby Football Club’s initial impact forty one years ago in official Eastern Rugby Union league play proved to be an even more auspicious beginning than that of the championship Columbia College RFC sides from which it sprang. The Eastern Rugby Union held league play only in the spring season, and the OBRFC went an undefeated 10-0-1 in its first season of league play in spring 1964. Even from its inaugural season, the club was dominant, as the NY Times quoted it as “one of the outstanding clubs on the East Coast”. The Old Blue ultimately was undefeated in the first 18 ERU matches in which it ever played. It has successfully maintained to the present day a historical dominance of Eastern US rugby and a national stature as perennially one of the top rugby clubs in the United States. The Founders and other Old Blues representing American rugby have gone on to play against all of the best national rugby teams in the world.

[edit] An Era of Dominance

After USARFU began its four-territory national men’s club championship play in 1979, Old Blue were the inaugural ERU Club Champions from the 350 clubs in the competition, and followed this up with wins in the next two years. As such, the OBRFC appeared in the first three USARFU Final Fours, in 1979, 80 and 81. Overall, the Old Blue has been in seven Men’s Club D-I Final Fours (appearing also in 1986, 97, 98 and 99), four times reaching the Finals (1981, 86, 97 and 98). When the Super League became a distinct division of USA Rugby in 2000, Old Blue concluded participation in US Division I championship play with the distinction of successful qualification for the national playoffs in all of the 22 years from its inception. In that time Old Blue had a string of eight straight National Championship Sweet 16s (1992-00) and six consecutive National Championship Elite 8s (93-99), and won 13 Northeast championships, including seven in a row from 1992-98. From the formation of the Northeast Rugby Union in 1995, to 2000 when its participation ceased, Old Blue won or tied for the best NRU Premier Division I Men’s Club regular season record every year.

[edit] International Success

The Old Blue earned its first national title by winning the 1993 USA Rugby National Men’s Club Sevens Championship, and that side was invited to the internationally renowned Punta del Este 7’s Tournament in 1994, where they defeated Chile 12-10, and lost to South Africa, a powerhouse of world rugby. In 2000, 2002 (Final Four) and 2003 they again played in the US National 7s Championships. In another historic victory, Old Blue in 1983 celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 15-13 win over the Eastern Rugby Union All-Stars, in the first ever such meeting, to become the first US club to defeat a US territorial all-star side. Old Blue toured England, Ireland and Wales in 1966, winning six out of nine matches as the first American club side to go abroad. We have toured much of the US, including Southern California in 1972 as the first eastern US club to do so, returning with a 3-1 record; and have won countless US tournaments. It has visited Argentina, Canada, Bermuda, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman Island, Barbados, and St. Lucia; and Old Blue boasts victories over many top foreign touring sides, including Clifton (Eng), the London Saracens, London Irish, Bermuda All-Stars, the Montreal Barbarians and Orrell (Eng). Perennially the pre-eminent club in our LAU (Local Area Union), we sent eight players to lead the Met New York Rugby Union to the 1993 National LAU Championship. In 1997 a Met NY team that was virtually an Old Blue side (14 players) won the Select Side Division of the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Tournament. Including wins against CASI, a top Argentine club side, twice.