Founded 1963 | Ground Harvard Business School | |
Full name Harvard Business School Rugby Football Club League New England Rugby Football Union Profiles | ||
The Harvard Business School RFC is a rugby union team based at Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. The club competes in the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) and is composed of graduate students from throughout Harvard University.
Contents
History
HBS Rugby began in the fall of 1963. Prior to the team's founding, the Harvard Business School sporting culture was dominated by softball, bowling, and ping-pong. Dissatisfied with these options, two Scottish MBA students, Jim Johnstone '65 and Morris McInnes '65, founded the HBS Rugby Club.
Through advertisements, coercion and the promise of female spectators, the first contingent of forty or so interested men began to train at Soldiers Field. Despite the negative advice of the HBS Dean of Students and an attempt to merge the HBS side with the Harvard College side by force, Johnstone and McInnes persevered. The spring 1964 record of 5-2-1 was the harbinger of a glorious tradition of Eastern rugby strength, melding American athletes with the rugby culture of international players.
Since its inception, more than 1500 men have played for HBS Rugby.
HBS Rugby today
Rugby is the only competitive, extramural team sport at HBS. The team continues to build its legacy of success with a full slate of NERFU games each fall and a spring touring calendar that includes London Business School, a rotating Spring Break tour, the Fall Brawl tour in Austin (Texas), and the MBA World Championship at Duke University, which they recently won in Spring 2014.
Columbus Day weekend marks an annual gathering of all rugby alumni and current players to celebrate a tradition and renew a bond that few others have had at HBS.
Old Boys
An Old Boys touring side formally began with a trip to the Freeport Bahamas Easter Festival in 1978. In 2007, the Old Boys traveled to the World Cup Rugby frenzy in France and completed their thirtieth annual tour with two matches in Provence. In 2008, Grand Cayman Island was the scene for rugby plays and stingrays. The Fall of 2011 found us at the World Cup in New Zealand. Spring, 2012, we played in Bermuda. In June, 2013, the OB's travel to France. Other HBS ruggers have also toured the globe and play for various local sides throughout the world. October 2015 will feature a tour to the UK for the Rugby World Cup.
Sponsorship
HBS Rugby is supported by The Boston Consulting Group, Harpoon Brewery, Gibson Guitars, Mousse Partners, and Tommy Doyle's Irish Pub.
Notable HBS Rugby alumni
Sir Martin Sorrel, Chairman WPP