Adams State College Rugby

To know where the Adams State Rugby Team comes from, you must delve past the stereotypical coming of age stories.   Our humble beginnings define hapless, yet implore you to march on with us for the simple fact that we, the congregation of the worlds second most popular sport, have nothing else going for us...and we like it that way.  It gives us the opportunity to be the heroes of our time, the cripplers of antagonism, the defroster of icy-veined women, the Ruggers of Adams State...

Fall, 2001.  A solitary man with a shared vision brings rugby to Alamosa.  His experience for several teams in several countries under several different names had stoked the fire inside.  Some of the founding fathers (Shawn Nixon, Tony Wheeler, Ricky Eskew, Mike Verderamine, Clayton Shonk, Jake Heiney) had been churning the rugby idea in their minds for a while, and once Micah Mills was in town and a flyer was made, rugby in Alamosa came to fruition.

We invaded and conquered our first set of matches.  Farmington and Ft. Lewis were having a casual match before we showed our eager faces, and the day became a tournament.  Two quasi-experienced teams and a team of ragamuffins with no jerseys and coach stepped onto the pitch that day.  The mountains protected the Grizzlies that day, and the gods looked down upon the new blood with glee and allowed sunshine to filter out the chaos and uncertainty.   Farmington and Ft. Lewis felt the power of the inexperienced and despite not wholly understanding the game, Adams State became known as a force to be reckoned with. .

Wins like this came on a consistent basis, but since the Adams State Rugby name was still making its rounds, we were not included in the fun and games that playoffs and scheduled matches permit.   We dutifully remained ardent to our sport despite the fact that the only recognition we received came from respectable coaches and astonished players.

The winter slumber gave time for our restless bodies to get out and recruit for our up-and-coming team.  The spring brought a bevy of new talent.  The union (www.errfu.org), could not refuse us any longer and voted us in halfway through the season.  With wins over Metro State, Colorado College, and a New Mexico Highlands team, things were definitely on the up-and-up.  To this date, Adams State College Rugby Football Club has never lost on its own pitch.

The Grizzlies have not only had the fortitude to crush in-state opponents, but the desire to wreak havoc in other states as well. The team has beaten foes from New Mexico, Arizona, Nebraska, and most recently, Wyoming, in the semi-finals of the 2003 Jackalope Tournament.

Many years from now, these glorious days full of free-spirited competition, rowdy barbeques and time spent with your best friends will have melted into weeks, rolled into months and stamped forever...into the memories of our lives. Rest assured fellow ruggers and friends, the Adams State Rugby Team will still be here for us to look back and enjoy the fine feeling of winning something more than just games, something more visceral, something more...human.  But fear not and always look ahead...rugby might be coming to a town near you.....