MEMPHIS—Christian Brothers University Director of Athletics
Brian Summers announces the addition of men's and women's rugby to the department's sport lineup. Both teams will begin competition in the spring of 2020.
CBU rugby will become the first competitive club sports offered by the university. While not sanctioned by the NCAA, the programs will receive a full-time head coach and offer competitive scholarship packages for prospective students. The head coach will be hired during the summer and the teams will focus on playing a 7s schedule in its initial season.
"CBU Rugby was made possible through the generous donations of alumni and friends in the Memphis Rugby community," said Summers. "We have been eyeing adding the sports, but it required philanthropic support to get them off the ground. I'm very grateful to the contributors who helped make this a reality."
Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports at the collegiate level in the U.S. It also enjoys a robust niche among boys and girls in Memphis high schools. Numerous public and private high schools throughout Memphis offer the sport and several have claimed state and regional championships.
"Rugby offers tremendous diversity—socio-economic, race, and geographic—not to mention its reach internationally," said Summers. "We see these sports as an excellent complement to our University's mission."
Overall, Rugby in the U.S. is not governed by the NCAA. It is, however, governed by USA Rugby and its representative, geographical unions and local area unions. Under USA Rugby, a college management committee and collegiate director exist to oversee college rugby.
CBU intends to develop a roster of 10-15 players in each gender for year one, with long-term growth targeting 25 players on each team. Applications to attend CBU can be found at
www.cbu.edu/apply.
Donors who contributed to CBU Rugby start up fund:
| Joseph T. Tobin |
| Samuel R. Barnett |
| Michael J. Deutsch |
| Donors Anonymous |
| Donors Anonymous |
| Donors Anonymous |
| Henry Deutsch |
| David L. Schenkel |
| Resource Entertainment Group |
| Chris Claude |
| United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC |
| Memphis Inner City Rugby |
| Paul J. Posey |
| Triumph Bank |
