Nickname(s) | Dallas Reds |
---|---|
Short name | DRFC |
Founded | 1968 |
Chairman | Jeff Robertson |
Website | Club website |
The Dallas Rugby Football Club (also Dallas Reds or DRFC or Dallas Rugby), is a rugby union club in Dallas, Texas. Dallas Rugby fields multiple teams, including: Division I Men's, Division II Men's, Division III Men's, Division IV Men's, Division II Women's Side, and Youth Rugby. The Club plays in the Red River Rugby Conference (formerly the Texas Rugby Union), which is one of the conferences (geographic unions) under USA Rugby.[1] Dallas Rugby also fields a Rugby Sevens ("7s") team that competes at the national level.[2][3][4]
Full Name | Dallas Rugby Football Club |
---|---|
Union | USA Rugby |
Conference | Red River Rugby Conference |
Nickname | Dallas Reds |
Founded | 1968 |
Director of Rugby | Filip Keuppens |
President | Jeff Robertson |
Dallas Rugby (aka the "DRFC") was conceived in 1968 and officially founded on January 18, 1969 by Bill Woodfin. As of the 2019-2020 season, Dallas Rugby is the only Club in USA Rugby's club membership to field four men's sides and a women's side.[5] The Club was officially incorporated in Texas in 2002, and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes rugby in the United States and encourages growth in the sport locally.[6] The Club also manages the Dallas Youth Rugby Club,[7] which is a program started in 2016, partnered with City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.[8]
Dallas Rugby is currently one of the premier rugby clubs in Texas, and has consistently enjoyed success at the local and national level since the 2000's.[9] The Club has also had many players compete at top levels in professional rugby unions such as PRO Rugby and Major League Rugby, and other notable clubs throughout the world.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
Most notably, In 2016, the Reds finished second in the RRRC, and second in the inaugural USA Rugby Gold Cup Championships.[18] In 2017, the Reds won the USA Rugby Gold Cup Championships, which consisted of the top four teams in the nation from the previous season.[19][20]
Led by their coaches, Chris Howard, Lynn Howard, and Dale Russ, the Dallas Rugby 7s teams have had great success at the local and national level. Dallas Rugby fields 2-3 sides every 7s season, with its top side competing in the regional National Qualifier[21] Tournaments and the 2nd and 3rd sides competing in TOLA[22] and social tournaments. Some notable players in recent history have made National All-Star 7s squads and have competed at the highest level.[23][24][25] Impressively, the Dallas Rugby 7s program has placed in the top 10 at the National Championships in three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019), and has done so only with the organic, grassroots support of their sponsors, fan, and volunteers.
Dallas Rugby is sponsored by various organizations, including, but not limited to: Baylor Scott & White, 3 Nations Brewing Co., [26] Swinglift Transport Service,[27] The Pickle Juice Company,[28] Thorin's Mead, [29] Glast Phillips & Murray,[30] OT Tavern, and M Stone.[31]
This article "Dallas Rugby Football Club" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.