Nickname(s) Golden Bears League(s) PAC Rugby Conference Coach Jack Clark | Location Berkeley, California Founded 1882 Union USA Rugby | |
Full name California Golden Bears Rugby Ground(s) Witter Field (Capacity: 5,000) | ||
The Golden Bears have won 27 total championships since the national collegiate championships for rugby began in 1980. Current head coach and Cal alumnus Jack Clark took over the team in 1984, and has achieved prolonged success, leading the Bears to 23 national titles, including twelve consecutive championships from 1991 to 2002 and five more consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008.
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Cal also competes in the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), the highest profile college rugby tournament in the US. The CRC is held every June at PPL Park in Philadelphia, and is broadcast live on NBC. Cal reached the finals of the 2010 CRC, losing to Utah in the finals in sudden death extra time, and finished third in the 2012 CRC.
Cal also competes for the "World Cup," which is awarded to the winner of the annual series between Cal and the University of British Columbia.
Cal Rugby's home is at 5,000-seat Witter Rugby Field, located near California Memorial Stadium in Strawberry Canyon.
History of Cal rugby
Rugby union began play at Cal in 1882 and continued until 1886, when it was ditched in favor of American Football. Rugby would make a return in 1906 after football was deemed too dangerous to play. From 1906 to 1914, Cal rugby garnered a respectable 78-21-10 record. 1914, however, saw the return of football and Cal would not field a rugby team for almost 20 years.
Around the turn of the century American football was being frowned upon for its violence. During this period of uncertainty, rugby made a brief but important reappearance in many colleges, most notably at the University of California and at Stanford University. It was these two Universities, and Santa Clara University, that supplied most of the players to the two US Olympic rugby teams (1920 & 1924) who claimed fame by winning both Gold medals (as 1924 was the last time the Olympic Games staged a rugby competition, this will make the USA the defending Olympic Champions when rugby is re-introduced, after almost a century in 2016).
In 1931, rugby returned under alumnus Ed Graff. 1938 began the era of Miles "Doc" Hudson, who guided the Bears for 37 years and an incredible record of 339-84-23. His successor was Ned Anderson, an alumnus and former rugger for the Bears.
In September 2010, the university announced that rugby would be one of five varsity sports cut as a cost-cutting measure, though the team would have continued to represent the university as a "varsity club sport," which was to be defined by the university administration. A large group of rugby supporters organized and disputed the relegation. On February 11, 2011, the administration reversed its decision on rugby and two other sports, meaning that rugby will continue as a varsity sport.
Cal reached the final of the Varsity Cup in both 2013, 2014 and 2015.
National championships
The following table is a list of each of the national championships since 1980 in which Cal has reached at least the semifinals.
Varsity Cup
The following table is a list of each of the Varsity Cups in which Cal has reached at least the semifinals.
Players
The following is a partial list of Cal rugby players have played for the United States national rugby team, nicknamed Eagles, in a major international competition. Of the 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, 7 were Cal alums.
––– Players with significant international experience(caps) outside of World Cup appearances for the United States –––