San Diego State Aztecs rugby

Since the inception of the club in 1958, men's rugby has been both a popular and successful sport on campus at SDSU, so much so that Aztec alumni went on to set-up the rugby team of Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) in 1966[3] and also to found the Old Aztecs rugby club in 1978.[4] In addition to the 1987 National Championship, the Aztecs have won numerous SCRFU Collegiate Conference titles to progress to the national playoffs, including 1996,[5] 2007,[6] 2008 (quarterfinalists),[7] 2009 (semifinalists), 2010 (quarterfinalists) and 2012 (semifinalists).[8] San Diego State men's teams have also excelled at the short-form of the game; finishing second at the 2010 Collegiate Rugby Championship (broadcast live on NBC)[9] and qualifying to play in the USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships in 2011 (quarterfinalists), 2012 and 2015 (quarterfinalists).

Women first represented San Diego State at rugby in 1975[10] and, like the men, had an astonishingly successful introduction, finishing the season second in the nation after losing the inaugural Women's Collegiate National Championship to the University of Colorado.[11] The team played successfully for eleven seasons, even going on an undefeated four-match tour of New Zealand in 1981.[12] In 1986 the Aztecs combined[13] with a local club team the Rio Grande Surfers. The Surfers, now known as the San Diego Surfers,[14] play in the Women's Premier League, the highest level of women's rugby in the United States. The Aztec women's team has recently been re-established on campus and they were progressing successfully through the 2020 season until it was cut-short by the coronavirus pandemic.

The first record of anyone having an interest in playing rugby at San Diego State College (as it was then) is an advertisement in the school newspaper, The Daily Aztec, at the end of the fall semester of 1957 asking for Men interested in forming a rugby team to attend a meeting.[15] More than 45 people turned up[16] so a season schedule was put together along with a timetable of practices to be held over the winter break and Mr. Fred Quiett of the university's Engineering Department agreed to become the club's first faculty representative.[17]

The team played its first competitive matches in the spring semester at the Southern California Rugby Association Carnival in Santa Ana on Sunday February 9, 1958, defeating Pomona-Claremont 8–0 and losing to the Pepperdine College Waves 3–8.[18] The first of seven league matches that season was played against El Centro in El Centro on Saturday February 15, the Aztecs won 15–0.[19] Their next match was their first at home, it was played in the Aztec Bowl (now the site of the Viejas Arena) against Ontario and was won by the Aztecs 20–14.[18]

Winning ways continued that first Cinderella season with a further three victories before suffering their first league defeat to Eagle Rock Athletic Club. This set-up their final match with Santa Ana College on the next weekend as a championship decider, the Aztecs won the match and thus they also clinched the league in their inaugural season.[20] Four of the team were named on the Southern California All star team (Bob Johnston, Ernie Trumper, Jim Hansen and Ian Richardson), two to the All-star second team (Bob Shank and Jim Hastings) and one honorable-mention (Ray Fackrell).[21]

The Aztecs won the US National Men's Collegiate Rugby Championship in 1987, overcoming Dartmouth College rugby club 22–6 in the semifinals and beating the United States Air Force Academy rugby club 10–9 in the final. The 1987 men's rugby team was inducted into the San Diego State University Aztec Hall of Fame in 2005.[28]

Alumni of San Diego State who have played international and/or professional rugby union

• Sean Allen [29]
• Scott Bracken –– also current  U20 men's 15's head coach [30][31]
• Ante Drazina [32][33]
• Dennis Gonzales [34]
• Chris Harju –– 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup winner who was inducted, with her teammates, into US Rugby Hall of Fame in 2017 [35][36][37]
• Duncan Kelm
• Chris Lippert –– US Rugby Hall of Fame inductee 2020 [38][39]
• Brian Vizard

Alumni of San Diego State who have played international rugby sevens

• Duncan Kelm
• Stephen Tomasin
• Brian Vizard

Alumni of San Diego State who have become coaches and/or administrators of rugby at the highest level

• Bing Dawson –– US Rugby Hall of Fame inductee 2018 [40]
• Bob Watkins –– US Rugby Hall of Fame inductee 2015 [41]