PAC Rugby Conference

The PAC Rugby Conference is a conference composed of seven schools from the Pac-12 Conference that compete against each other in college rugby. The PAC Rugby Conference currently competes in Division 1-A. It was formed in 2012 with six teams, with conference play beginning in February 2013 to compete in Division 1-AA. In 2016, PAC added USC and Stanford and dropped Oregon State, and moved up to D1-A. Despite only recently moving up from D1-AA affiliation, the PAC has historically been one of the strongest conferences in college rugby, with five of its members consistently 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]

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). PAC Rugby was shown on television for the first time in 2014, when the PAC 12 Network broadcast Cal vs UCLA [3]

Members

Institution Location Founded Enrollment Endowment Nickname Rugby
Since 		Head Coach
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 1885 40,223 [4] $563,655,000 [5] Wildcats 1969 Sean Duffy[6]
Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 1885 72,254 [7] $500,667,000 [5] Sun Devils 1975 Gary Lane
University of California, Berkeley (California) Berkeley, CA 1868 36,142 [8] $3,150,000,000 [9] Golden Bears 1882 Jack Clark
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA 1919 40,675 [10] $2,980,000,000 [11] Bruins 1934 Scott Stewart
University of Southern California (USC) Los Angeles, CA 1880 42,469 $4,710,000,000 Trojans 1887 Loa Milford
Stanford University Palo Alto, CA ?? ?? ?? Cardinal ?? ??
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 1850 32,388 [12] $670,411,000 [5] Utes ??? Blake Burdette

Results

Season Champion Runner Up Third
2013 California[13] UCLA
2014 California[14]
2015 California[15] 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.[16] In 2012, all 12 of the Pac-12 schools participated for the first time and Cal won.[17] In 2016 the tournament was hosted in Tucson, Arizona for the first time, where it was won by Cal for the fifth straight year . [18]

Date Location Champion Final Score Runner Up Third Tournament MVP Leading Try Scorer
Oct. 21-22, 2011 Stanford Colorado[16] 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. ↑ Mainstream Broadcast for Cal v UCLA, February 20, 2014, http://www.rugbytoday.com/college/mainstream-broadcast-cal-v-ucla
  4. ↑ http://uanews.org/story/ua-enrollment-tops-40000-and-retention-graduation-rates-are-too
  5. 1 2 3 http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2012NCSEPublicTablesEndowmentMarketValuesFinalJanuary232013.pdf
  6. ↑ http://usarugby.org/college-news/item/university-of-arizona-rugby-team-hires-sean-duffy-to-replace-legendary-coach-dave-sitton
  7. ↑ http://about.asu.edu/facts.html
  8. ↑ Facts at a glance - UC Berkeley
  9. ↑ About Us Berkeley Endowment Management Company'.' Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  10. ↑ Quick Facts - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions
  11. ↑ UC Annual Endowment Report Office of the Treasurer of The Regents'.' Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ 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/
  14. ↑ Cal Takes PAC With 43-31 Win at Utah, Mar. 15, 2014, http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209435860
  15. ↑ http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625354/Rugby-Utes-take-second-in-Pac-12-Oklahoma-banned-from-Varsity-Cup.html?pg=all
  16. 1 2 http://www.rugbymag.com/news/colleges/collegiate-sevens/2428-colorado-takes-pacific-7s.html
  17. ↑ 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
  18. ↑ Recap: Cal claims fifth consecutive Pac Sevens Rugby Championship, Nov. 13, 2016, http://pac-12.com/videos/recap-cal-claims-fifth-consecutive-pac-sevens-rugby-championship
  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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