Rugby alumni find unique way to support alma mater

In 2001, three years before the men’s tennis team won Baylor’s first varsity national championship, Baylor men’s rugby — then and now, a club sport — brought home a national title to Waco, claiming the USA Rugby Collegiate Division II National Championship.

Those students have long since graduated from Baylor, but many members of that team continue to support Baylor rugby. Three members of the national championship squad — Zachary Oliphant, BBA ’02, Brian Dusablon, BBA ’01, and Kenneth Johnson, BBA ’01 — formed the Baylor Rugby Association, a non-profit organization designed to support the program at Baylor (much like the Baylor Bear Foundation does for the university’s varsity athletes).

The group also holds an annual alumni event, welcoming back former Baylor rugby players each Labor Day weekend for a game that pits alumni against current students. This past fall, the event raised $3,600 for the rugby program, helping offset costs for things such as equipment and tournament fees and keeping a select group of Baylor Bears connected to one another and their alma mater.

Sic ’em, Baylor rugby!