TU Rugby Club History

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1975

Spring- Craig Dobkin, a faculty/staff member of Towson State University, and  a rugby player for the Baltimore Rugby Football Club, along  with Ron Stringer and Matt McGlone, promoted starting a rugby club via word of mouth and an advertisement placed in the Towerlight Newspaper. About 20 guys show up for the first meeting in Burdick Hall and practice, including Bill Berault, Russ Clark, Bruce Stein, Bob White, Larry Esten, Jeff Opieken, Ken Kitchelt, Tim Chestnutt, Tom Medicus, Tom Dillon, Dan Badolato, John Dillon, Peter Gorman and Mike Leonard. The Towson State Rugby Football Club is born.

During the first season, Towson State RFC plays as the Baltimore RFC C-Side. The first game is played in gold and white vertical stripe short-sleeve soccer jerseys. Black rugby jerseys are delivered later in the season. Yellow windbreakers are also ordered, and the printer spells Rugby as "Rubgy" on the crest. The club has a good laugh and the printer makes a patch to cover the misspelling. The club finishes their first season 4-7-1.

Fall- A women’s team also forms and the Men’s team includes the women’s side as part of the club as they get their footing.

1976

January- The club’s first tour. Students receive 3 credits for going. There are six games; four in England and two in Wales. Though winning their first 2 games in England is a big accomplishment at the time, what is more important is the learning that takes place on the tour.

That Spring, the club finishes 9-0-0.

1977

TSU Men's Rugby wins the Potomac Rugby Union (PRU) Division-2 championship and moves up to Division-1. At this point in time, the club is a combination of Towson State students and players who did not attend the school.

1978

Spring- May 28th- As part of a campus sports festival, Founder/Coach Craig Dobkin organizes Towson State to host an international test match between the USA Rugby Eagles and the Canadian Rugby Canucks. The match takes place on Burdick Field. The Eagles defeat Canada for the first time ever, 12-7. To our knowledge, Towson is one of the only Universities on the East Coast to host an international match. ABC Wide World of Sports covers the event.

Towson State beats the best men's club on the East Coast, MOB (Maryland Old Boys), for the Division-1 championship.

Peter J. Gorman III, one of the original members and a leader of the club, dies in an auto accident.

1979

The club tours again to England, Wales & Scotland. The club still has non-students as part of the club, but times are changing. 

1980

USA Rugby officially organizes the National Collegiate Championship, and divides the country into seven territorial Unions. As collegiate rugby develops more organization, the need for separation for “student-athletes only” becomes more apparent.  TOM (Towson Old Men) is formed for all non-students. This makes Towson State RFC exclusively a college student club. The founders and early members pass down the following mantras for the club: 

1. Go on tour to play outside your regulars and learn from others

2. Learn the songbook, and represent both off and on the pitch

This becomes a theme for the decade to come…

1981

Dan Agley (Faculty Member) takes over as Head Coach, as Craig Dobkin leaves Towson for career opportunities out west.

1984

Spring- An enjoyable if not completely successful week-long Spring Break Tour to Ft. Lauderdale, as the club goes 1-2, losing to Boca Raton RFC 12-6 and U of Miami 36-0, but salvaging the trip with a 12-3 win over Ft. Lauderdale RFC. These trips always provide lessons on and off the pitch. 

TOM goes through some rough times and merges with Chesapeake RFC, a local men's club. This leaves Towson State RFC the lone remaining club with the “Towson” name.

1985

Spring- Another Spring Break, another tour, this time to a tournament in Freeport Bahamas. The team represents well on the pitch, but learns more from losses and lessons from better teams like Loughborough College, at that time the #1 College (prep school) rugby program in England. Loughborough’s coach generously leads Towson players in a post-match clinic, and consequently the club returns home a more formidable opponent.

However… allegations about some of the club’s players’ conduct off the field lead to a scandal upon returning home. Despite a lack of evidence and in the absence of any formal charges, the Student Government Association (SGA) pulls all funding from the club; The team is allowed to remain part of “club sports”, but University support begins to erode. The team soldiers on…

1986

Spring - Chris Schmidt takes over as Head Coach from Dan Agley in an effort to breathe new life into the team. True to form, the team travels to Daytona Beach for another tournament.

The Women’s Club, up to this point connected with the Men’s Club, disbands due to lack of players.

1987

As college rugby’s popularity grows,  and despite an ongoing “probation” that prohibits funding from the school,  Towson State’s rugby program becomes more prominent. The club produces its first Division 1 All-American, John Malcolm (2nd Row).

1988

Despite the passage of time, and an appeal from alumnus Don Stone to establish an “oversight committee”, the club is again denied SGA funding. The Club wins the collegiate division of the prestigious Cherry Blossom Tournament in Washington DC.

1989

In another blow to the program, “Recreational Sports” strips the club of its club sport status. However, the policy is not enforced and Towson continues to practice on-campus  and represent the University. The field next to Burdick Hall, unofficially named the’ Peter J. Gorman Memorial Pitch’, is re-purposed for a new parking garage.

1990

Without a field or school support, TSU Rugby enters the new decade building on reputation, talent and depth, continuously  fielding 3 full sides and approximately 45-55 players.

1991

TSU Rugby produces its second Division 1 All-American, Ray Green (Center). As a wild-card, the Tigers beat established Division 1 school Kutztown, but lose to Harvard in the Rugby East quarterfinals (national 32) round.

1992

TSU alum John Malcolm becomes the forwards coach

Fall- The University finally allows the club to play two home games on Union Field. In a heartbreak at the end of the season, Towson loses the PRU title to Navy on a last-minute try by the midshipmen in the second of those home games. .

1993

Towson’s talent produces three Division 1 All-Americans: Dave Skinner (Fullback), Jon Holtzman (#8), and Earl Brownell (Center); Former All-American Ray Green is recruited and transfers to Cal-Berkley.

Club Officer Jim Michael organizes a Spring Break road trip for the club. The boys, in two mini-vans and a car, and along with Gladys, spent a week seeing the US and playing Western Carolina University, LSU, and Tulane. The trip was an experience of a lifetime, with a massive crawdaddy boil at LSU, partying on Bourbon Street, and some of the boys having to spend a night in an all-girls dorm. And, they played some rugby. 

In the annual Cherry Blossom tournament, TSU beats Army in a thrilling match.

1994

Spring- After 11 years as player, captain, club president, and Head Coach, Chris Schmidt leaves Towson State Rugby to coach cross-campus rival Loyola University. 

The team does not have a coach for the spring season and early into the fall. After falling to Navy 96-0, Sean Moran, an Englishman and recent arrival to the Towson area, agrees to coach the squad. 

Earl Brownell (Center) repeats as Division 1 All-American; Ray Green (now with Cal-Berkley) also repeats as Division 1 All-American.

USA Rugby re-organizes territories, and the Potomac Rugby Union (PRU) becomes part of the larger Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU). This lays the groundwork for larger regional programs to face Towson on a regular basis.

On November 5th, still a Junior at Cal-Berkley, Ray Green is capped by the US national squad in its match against Ireland. He will eventually collect 16 Eagles caps before retiring.

1995

Spearheaded by Club VP Mark Shaver, The Rugby Club begins to re-establish a relationship with the University that includes acceptance back into “Recreational Sports” and SGA  funding.

Alumnus Tim O'Donnell creates the Towson State Old Boys as an alumni-side for participation in local tournaments, which helps bring many older Towson ruggers back under the banner of Towson State. This becomes the backbone of what will become the current Alumni Association.

On September 9th, TSU alum Jon Holzman is capped by the US national squad in its match against Canada..

1996

Spring- At a tournament at VMI, TSU’s B-side beat both VMI and Georgetown’s A-sides in thrilling matches. 

Fall- A new regime begins as the club welcomes a new head coach in Rusty Cross, an Irish native with a family history of rugby generations long. This along with a new fresh wave of student athletes sets up a promising future for the club.

1997

July- the school drops the designation "state" from its name to become Towson University - thus changing the name of the club as well.

1998

Alumnus Scott Marchakitus and Coach Rusty Cross begin the enormous task of organizing the first annual Towson University Rugby Reunion.

1999

Spring- In a pre-season match on Burdick Field, the club defeats Army. In his very first game, Freshman Jan DeBrunkyops (high school All-American) scores every single point in the match for Towson. 

April 24th.  The first ever Annual Rugby Reunion. Beginning with games on Burdick Field and a dinner ceremony at the Auburn House on campus. The ceremony featured speeches by past coaches, alumni and University President Hoke Smith. To this day, this reunion remains the largest single alumni event in the history of the school.

Fall- The TU Rugby Alumni Association Committee is formed to organize future annual reunions.

USA Rugby continues to reorganize the local area unions, and powerhouse programs such as Penn State now join the PRU, increasing the competition level in the division.

2000

Spring- April 29th.  Rugby alumni from 4 decades celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Towson University Rugby Football Club at the second annual Rugby Reunion - once again with games, dinner and a ceremony. 

Fall- The Rugby Enhancement Fund (short-term funding) and the Rugby Endowment Fund (long-term funding) is established through the University to give Alumni and other supporters a way to financially support the club directly. This begins a new chapter of positive relations with the University.

2001

Spring- With the 25th Anniversary behind the club, the pattern of a spring “Alumni” weekend annually is established, with the plan of a larger event on every 5th milestone year. Also that Spring- Towson beats Penn State 23-12, even with captain Vic Moore serving a 10-minute man-advantage penalty.  That fall, Penn State would be national champion runner up, proving Towson has the ability to hang with established large school programs.

2002

2003

2004

Winter- the first international rugby tour in  many years with a trip to Ireland. Coach Rusty Cross and a band of 11 students travel to  Limerick and blaze a 2 week trek across Ireland playing rugby matches and visiting local tourist and cultural  attractions.

2005

Spring - the 30th Anniversary of TU Rugby. This reunion weekend is by far the most event filled yet, with a full day of alumni golf organized by Alumnus Tony De Cesare at Pine Ridge Golf Course on Friday; followed that evening with a happy hour at the Rec Room with an hour long slide show presentation of 70's and early 80's rugby photos. The next day is the first rainy reunion match in 7 years, but alumni played through the weather until 3:30 PM when the Peter Gorman III Memorial Bench dedication begins. 

​Bagpipes played. Family and friends gather on the former location of the old memorial pitch to honor the memory of Peter. Later in the  evening, the 30th Anniversary Dinner and Presentation is held at the Auburn House. Alumni from all decades speak about their past experiences, with slide shows and award presentations. Coach Rusty Cross is honored with the TU Rugby Club & Alumni Loyalty Award for a decade of commitment to the club. Many current players and supporters receive awards for their contributions. Alumni finished up the weekend reunion later that night, back at the Rec Room in Towson.

Summer- The 10th year the Towson State Olds Boys Est. 1995 (TSOB) participates in the annual Slug Sevens Tournament in Maryland.

Fall- After 10 years at the helm, the club parts ways with Head Coach Rusty Cross. Nate Bell takes over as interim Head Coach with former club officer Peter Holland.

2006

Spring- Jan Pretorius becomes Head Coach.

2007

Fall - As college rugby continues to grow and reorganize, the club’s senior leadership votes to move down to the Division 2  Potomac Rugby Union (PRU), part of the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Conference (MARFU). This ends a 32-year run of Division 1 presence. Jan Pretorius steps down as Head Coach at the end of the season.

2008

Spring- John Burke becomes interim Head Coach, but leaves within the year, leaving the team again without a coach.

2009

Spring- Alumnus Don Stone returns to the Club to take over as Head Coach. Don’s return brings stability and accountability to a program after five years of coaching turnover.

2010

Fall- Head Coach Don Stone recruits Towson Rugby alumnus Tony De Cesare as Forwards Coach; Towson finishes 2nd in the D2 PRU Conference, qualifying for the MARFU  playoffs, losing to St. Joseph’s University in the first round, but beating Mary Washington University in the consolation match.

2011

USA Rugby creates an elite division of schools known as the College Premier League- This eventually becomes Division 1-A. Division 1-AA & Division 2 reorganize as well.

Fall- Coach Matt Ford from Canterbury Rugby Club (UK) joins the coaching staff as Forwards Coach.  Towson once again finishes 2nd in the PRU, qualifying for the Mid Atlantic Rugby playoff, losing in the first round to James Madison University.

Towson focuses on recruiting and finishes the season with a roster of 55+ players and institutes a formal off-season strength and conditioning program between the fall and spring semesters.

2012

Towson expands its roster to 60+ players and finishes the season as runner up in the PRU for the 3rd consecutive year qualifying for the new USA Rugby D2 Playoffs at Dartmouth University.  Towson wins the East Regional bracket beating Colgate and Boston University to qualify for the USA Rugby D2 Final Four in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Towson loses in the first round to rival Salisbury University to finish the season ranked #3 nationally.

2013

Spring- Tim Cahill (Mt. St. Mary’s) joins the Towson Coaching Staff as Assistant Forwards Coach increasing Towson Rugby coaching staff to 5. Towson hosts USA Rugby Coaching and referee courses for the first time.

Towson finishes the season as runner up for the 4th consecutive year, qualifying for the USA Rugby D2 Playoffs.  Towson travels to Knoxville, TN going on to beat Illinois State University and University of North Carolina - WIlmington to win the South Regional and advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive year.  Towson travels to Bowling Green University to lose in the first round to PRU Rival Salisbury University and finish the season ranked #4 nationally in D2.

Fall - USA Rugby reorganizes (again). The PRU will consolidate with the Virginia Rugby Union (VRU)  to form the Capital Rugby Conference (CRC). USA Rugby also moves the National Playoffs to the fall starting in 2013.  Regardless, Towson finishes the regular season as the Runner Up in the PRU to advance to the USA Rugby D2 Playoffs.  Towson beats University of North Carolina Wilmington in the first round, then loses to University of Wisconsin Whitewater in the Elite 8 to end the season ranked #6 nationally.

2014

After years of evolution, The Towson Rugby Alumni Association, Inc. is granted 501(c)(3) charity status, and officially becomes a non-profit charity organization run by Towson rugby alumni to support the current club as well as keep previous alumni in contact with each other, the club, and the sport. 

Fall- In the final regular season game, Towson beats Salisbury on the road 25 - 14 to go undefeated in D2. Towson would go on to lose to Salisbury in the Capital Rugby Conference Championship, finishing runner up once again and qualifying for the USA Rugby D2 Playoffs. Towson beats VMI in a “play-in match” to travel to James Madison University for the Sweet 16.  Towson beats Grand Valley State University to advance to the Elite 8, then loses to top ranked James Madison to finish the season ranked #6 nationally in D2.

2015

Coach Anthony Ngaata (Hutt RFC - NZ) joins the coaching staff as Assistant Forwards Coach.  Towson expands the roster to 65+ players in the fall.

In its final year of the Conference before more changes, Towson wins the new Capital Rugby Conference, beating rivals Salisbury University in the championship match. This earns the club a #1 seed in the playoff bracket.  Towson travels to Pittsburgh, PA beating the Coast Guard Academy and Rowan University to advance to the D2 Final Four for the 3rd time in 4 years.  Towson travels to Furman University to lose in the first round to eventual National Champion University of Wisconsin Whitewater, finishing the season ranked #3 nationally in D2.

2016

Spring- Amid more USA Rugby Changes, Towson joins the newly formed D1-AA Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference. 

Fall- Back in Division 1, the club finishes a respectable 5-3, with wins over Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, and Salisbury. The club fields 65+ players for most of the season.

2017

Towson continues to compete in the Chesapeake D1-AA Conference competing against many programs that receive “Varsity” status benefits, including recruiting overseas players and offering scholarship assistance.

2018

Spring- With Towson re-established  Head Coach Don Stone turns over Head Coaching duties to Assistant CoachTony De Ceasare, and steps back to the Assistant/Backs Coach.

Towson continues to compete in the Chesapeake Conference against a growing list of “Varsity” level programs creating a large disparity within the conference between these “Varsity” teams and those team that have “club” status with much less school assistance.

2019

Spring- USA Rugby re-aligns several  elite college programs in the Mid-Atlantic region into the D1A “Rugby East” Conference. This leaves a void in the Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference. Towson leaves the Chesapeake Conference and moves to the D1-AA MARC (Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference).  This new conference is made up of college programs from both D1 and D2.

Head Coach Tony De Cesare begins teaching Rugby as an official course through the Exercise Science Department, and starts the Tuition Exchange Program with 6 Universities in the UK.

2020

Spring- Rugby is canceled 3 weeks into the 2020 season and all of the  Fall 2020 Semester due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

April- USA Rugby declares bankruptcy.  National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) takes over as the majority governing body for College Rugby.  There are four major divisions within NCR:  D1, D1AA, D2, and Small College.  Towson joins NCR as a D2 club in this new governing body, as part of the MARC’s decision to move from USA Rugby to NCR.

June- A  social media post regarding hate speech within the club creates an on-campus scandal: One player leaves the team, and Tony De Ceasare resigns as Head Coach amid the controversy.

2021

Tony Maranto begins as Head Coach.   

Spring-  In Towson’s first organized conference Sevens format, Towson makes the MARC playoff as the 8th seed.  

Fall-  Towson goes 3 - 3 in a D2/Small College Hybrid game schedule, as Rugby re-starts post-pandemic with fewer players and a return to Division 2.

2022

Fall- Towson finishes 4 - 2 and 4th overall team in the D2 MARC conference. 

2023

Spring- In Sevens, Towson finishes in 3rd place and qualifies for the Collegiate Rugby Championships that occurs in Rockville, MD.  They finish as the 10th best team in the nation in D2 Sevens. 

The first class of the Towson Rugby Hall Of Fame is inducted at the alumni weekend banquet event. 

Fall- Senior Zach Uhler (Center) is named to the D2 All-American squad.

Alumnus Mike Flanagan is inducted into the U.S Rugby Hall of Fame as a coach, primarily for his tenure as head coach of the United States Naval Academy; his first coaching position is coaching Towson State’s Women’s Rugby Club

Plans for the 50th anniversary of the club begin.

2024

Spring- Spring 7’s is bittersweet. Towson finishes  the regular season as the 4th seed going into the final MARC championship tournament. But a loss against Scranton in the 1st pool game of the day puts Towson against Georgetown in the semi-final.  Although Towson plays Georgetown the best out of every team the entire season, too many injuries and not enough depth ends the season with a loss. Towson finishes 3rd overall in the MARC, but that is not enough for an invite to the national tournament.

Fall- Governing body NCR adjusts to create Division 3 (formerly Small College Division); the MARC Conference also adjusts, creating a more equitable playoff structure in all divisions. Long time rival Salisbury joins the D2 MARC and is now on the regular season schedule. 

Team numbers start to rebound as Towson fields a fall 15’s squad of over 40 players. That depth and steady coaching from Head Coach Tony Maranto and  recent alumni assistants puts Towson on solid footing. But the division is tough, with both nationally ranked Georgetown and newly joined rival Salisbury as regular season opponents. Towson starts gaining national recognition again earning ranks between #17-#19 in the country during the regular season. At the end of the regular season, Towson finishes 4-2 and third in division, but strength of schedule earns the team the last seed in the MARC playoffs. 

The playoffs are a different story. Towson upsets the #1 MARC seed Scranton (ranked #9 nationally), then upsets rival Salisbuy (ranked #12 nationally), and then in a dramatic comeback (down 7-38 with 25 minutes remaining), Towson storms back with 5 trys and defeats Villanova (ranked #9 nationally) to win the MARC championship and secure an automatic spot in the National sweet 16 in Knoxville TN. In Knoxville, Towson makes quick work of both Loyola of Chicago and Grand Valley State to make its next return trip to the National Final Four in Houston, TX. In the National Semi-Finals, Towson loses to eventual National Champion Northern Iowa 41-26. In the Consolation Match, Towson loses to Norwich University to finish the season as the #4 team in Division 2.