In 1874 Harvard University and Montreal McGill University hosted the first rugby game on American soil in Cambridge University. Although there is no record of the match ever being played or even a pronounced victor, the game sparked interest on college campuses nationwide.

The sport became so popular that it was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1900, 1908, 1920, and 1924. The United States claimed the gold medal in the 1920 and 1924 games. After the 1924 Olympics, the sport was removed therefore causing the interest of rugby to fall off in the States.

However, beginning in the 1960’s, a group of men decided to bring back the interest of the sport in the United States by forming a rugby committee. This committee is now known as the United Stated of America Rugby Football Union and consists of seven Territorial Unions, 37 Local Area Unions, and over 50,000 members.

Now, several decades later rugby is becoming more and more popular among men and woman of all ages. Rugby has leagues for younger kids where they play with flags instead of tackling, just as youngsters who start football at a young age. On the flip side of that, there are leagues that have men in their 50’s and 60’s who still play against teams that are significantly younger than themselves.

For the fans who are into the traditional American sports such as football and basketball, they can give credit to rugby in their developing process. Although it is quite easy to point out the similarities between rugby and football, one might ask what rugby has to do with the development of basketball. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, wanted to create an indoor alternative to rugby due to harsh winters in the New England territories.

Although the physical part of basketball is very different, the concept still remains the same. During game play, all members on the court play offense and defense and use similar tactics such as passing and setting screens to try and score.

With all this being said, high school rugby is growing rapidly and is working toward becoming a UIL sanctioned sport. As I was fortunate enough to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah to watch the USA High School Rugby Championships, I saw why this sport is becoming so popular among high school athletes. It has everything that sports fans want to see; hard hitting, a lot of scoring, but most of all kids who are laying it all on the line for one simple thing- pride.

Teams came from all over the country to compete and whether they were competing for first or last, they gave it their all every second while they were on the field.

*Pictures are from 2007 USA Rugby Championships*

Highlight video from the tournament soon to come.

Subscribe to this comment's feed