Williams Rugby Football Club

Men's team

The Williams Rugby Football Club (WRFC) was founded by David Coughlin '61 in the spring of 1959 following spending a year studying abroad at Oxford University in England. Starting with a handful of incoming freshmen with experience playing rugby while studying in England, the Club was formed and supported by Peter Pearson, the first Williams Rugby coach. The following fall, the WRFC entered the Eastern Rugby Union (ERU) and won the ERU Championship in 1960 with a 5-0-1 record. Following a 1961 tour in England, support and recognition from the College increased dramatically.^[1]

The distinctive Williams Rugby Football Club crest was designed by Coughlin and Pearson, and the team colors, claret and gold, were borrowed from Pearson's home team Huddersfield RFC. During the initial days of Williams Rugby, the college was reluctant to endorse and support the Club, so Coughlin wrote to his teammates at Oxford who provided the initial contributions of balls, equipment, and claret and gold uniforms. While the rest of Williams College's athletic teams sport purple and gold, the WRFC and WWRFC sport claret and gold to honor their comrades from Oxford.

Women's team

The Williams Women's Rugby Football Club (WWRFC) was founded in 1976, six years following the decision to make Williams co-ed, by John Greer and Dave Libardi. ^[2]

Amherst rivalry

The White Dawgs in 2003. The starting lineup is wearing the jerseys of their defeated rivals, Amherst

Like other sports teams at Williams College, both the men's and women's teams have a long-standing rivalry with Amherst College. As a part of the WRFC's rivalry with Amherst, both teams' starting lineups bet their jerseys on the outcome of the game, with the losing team forfeiting his or her jerseys.

The WWRFC has a long-standing tradition of wearing their jerseys for the entire week prior to their annual game with Amherst. If the WWRFC were to lose to Amherst, Amherst would receive smelly and muddy jerseys.

John Donovan Memorial Tournament

Every year, the men's rugby team hosts the John Donovan Memorial Tournament in the springtime, a rugby tournament and fundraiser to support the mental health services at the Brien Center. The tournament is held in honor of John Donovan, a rugby alumnus of Williams College who committed suicide as a result of unresolved mental illness.

Rugby names

After joining the WRFC, each member is given a unique rugby name determined by the team officers (and occasionally team alumni). On and off the rugby pitch, teammates refer to each other by their rugby names, and these names play a central role in the Club's culture and brotherhood.