PAC Rugby Conference

The PAC Rugby Conference is a conference composed of six schools from the Pac-12 Conference that compete against each other in college rugby. The PAC Rugby Conference was formed in 2012, with conference play beginning in February 2013 to compete in Division 1-AA. Despite its D1-AA affiliation, the PAC is one of the strongest conferences in college rugby, with five of its six members ranked in the Top 25 overall.[1] The PAC Rugby Conference began play on February 2, 2013, with Cal beating Arizona State at Witter Field in Berkeley.[2] In 2013, a number of PAC schools (Cal, UCLA, Utah) broke away from playing Division 1-A Rugby and instead formed the Varsity Cup Championship.

History of rugby at PAC schools

Around the turn of the century, American football was frowned upon for its violence, and President Theodore Roosevelt insisted upon reform or abolition of the game. During this period of uncertainty, rugby made a brief but important reappearance in many colleges, most notably at Cal and Stanford. It was these two Universities that supplied most of the players to the two U.S. Olympic rugby teams that won gold medals at the 1920 Olympics & 1924 Olympics. (Since 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 in 2016).

Members

Institution Location Founded Enrollment Endowment Nickname Rugby
Since 		Head Coach
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 1885 40,223 [3] $563,655,000 [4] Wildcats 1969 Sean Duffy[5]
Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 1885 72,254 [6] $500,667,000 [4] Sun Devils 1975 Gary Lane
University of California, Berkeley (California) Berkeley, CA 1868 36,142 [7] $3,150,000,000 [8] Golden Bears 1882 Jack Clark
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 1868 26,393 [9] $412,000,000 [10] Beavers 1961 Anthony Lally
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA 1919 40,675 [11] $2,980,000,000 [12] Bruins 1934 Scott Stewart
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 1850 32,388 [13] $670,411,000 [4] Utes ??? Blake Burdette

Results

Season Champion Runner Up Third
2013 California[14] UCLA
2014 California[15]
2015 California[16] Utah

PAC Sevens Rugby Tournament

This PAC Sevens Rugby Tournament occurs every fall. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth to the USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships. The tournament debuted in 2011 where Colorado beat Utah in the final match.[17] In 2012, all 12 of the Pac-12 schools participated for the first time and Cal won.[18]

Date Location Champion Final Score Runner Up Third Tournament MVP Leading Try Scorer
Oct. 21-22, 2011 Stanford Colorado[17] 14-12 Utah UCLA Luke Lahman --
Nov. 3-4, 2012 Los Angeles California[19] 21-12 Utah UCLA -- --
Nov. 2-3, 2013 Los Angeles California[20] 22-0 UCLA Oregon State -- --

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rugby Mag, All Divisions College Top 25, Jan. 28, 2013, http://www.rugbymag.com/cpl/6901-all-divisions-college-top-25-jan-28-2013-presented-by-selective-service-.html
  2. ↑ Cal Wins PAC Opener Over ASU, Feb. 2, 2013, http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-rugby/recaps/020213aaa.html
  3. ↑ http://uanews.org/story/ua-enrollment-tops-40000-and-retention-graduation-rates-are-too
  4. 1 2 3 http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2012NCSEPublicTablesEndowmentMarketValuesFinalJanuary232013.pdf
  5. ↑ http://usarugby.org/college-news/item/university-of-arizona-rugby-team-hires-sean-duffy-to-replace-legendary-coach-dave-sitton
  6. ↑ http://about.asu.edu/facts.html
  7. ↑ Facts at a glance - UC Berkeley
  8. ↑ About Us Berkeley Endowment Management Company'.' Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ http://campaignforosu.org/about/financial/documents/Organizational%20Profile%20and%20Fee%20Structure.pdf
  11. ↑ Quick Facts - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions
  12. ↑ UC Annual Endowment Report Office of the Treasurer of The Regents'.' Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Cal rugby defeats Utah, clinches inaugural PAC Rugby Conference title, Mar. 30, 2013, http://www.dailycal.org/2013/03/30/cal-rugby-defeats-utah-clinches-inaugural-pac-rugby-conference-title/
  15. ↑ Cal Takes PAC With 43-31 Win at Utah, Mar. 15, 2014, http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209435860
  16. ↑ http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625354/Rugby-Utes-take-second-in-Pac-12-Oklahoma-banned-from-Varsity-Cup.html?pg=all
  17. 1 2 http://www.rugbymag.com/news/colleges/collegiate-sevens/2428-colorado-takes-pacific-7s.html
  18. ↑ PAC 12, Cal beats Utah, 21-12, to take PAC Sevens title, Nov. 6, 2012, http://pac-12.com/Sports/Rugby/RugbyArticle/tabid/266//Article/200356/Cal-beats-Utah-21-12-to-take-PAC-Sevens-title.aspx
  19. ↑ Cal Wins Pac 7s, http://www.rugbymag.com/news/colleges/collegiate-sevens/6305-cal-wins-pac-7s.html
  20. ↑ Cal Wins PAC 7s, http://www.rugbymag.com/news/colleges/collegiate-sevens/9763-cal-wins-pac-7s.html
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