LesBlog

Here’s a picture of the University of Texas Longhorns Rugby Football Club visiting Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. That’s me in the lower left hand corner.

We went on a tour in January 1987. It was one of those “Dave Robbins Rugby Tours”, and there were matches arranged on our behalf in (1) Upton-upon-Severn, Worcester (2) Bedlinog, Wales (3) Malvern, Worcestershire, and (4) Tonbridge Wells, Kent. We were tired, wet, cold… and miserable. It was much colder than Austin, and the continental steam was not warming things as much as we had supposed in January.

Duh! I don’t know what we were thinking, but none of us really came prepared for the weather and the elements. In Bedlinog, I remember the clacking of boots hitting ice on the field at the opening whistle, and us having our butts handed to us in a sling. In one game we were absolutely trounced, and  I remember the opposing team singing “50-nil, 50-nil, 50-nil…”

At the time, Pope John Paul was very popular. Anyay, when we got off the tour bus at Rugby School,  with much ceremony, I kissed the ground…, as I joked “Pope John Paul does.”  Well, for anyone who’s ever played Rugby for any length of time (I played about 12 years), Rugby School was hallowed ground indeed.

Many people aren’t aware that Rugby derived from Football [Soccer is called Football everywhere else but here in the U.S.], and that American Football was derived from Rugby. The “distinctive feature” of Rugby is picking up the ball and running with it. The “distinctive feature” of “Gridiron” or American Football is the…” anyone? anyone? …. “forward pass.”

The plaque in the picture reads:

THIS STONE
COMMEMORATES THE EXPLOIT OF
WILLIAM WEBB ELLIS
WHO WITH A FINE DISREGARD FOR THE RULES OF FOOTBALL
AS PLAYED IN HIS TIME
FIRST TOOK THE BALL IN HIS ARMS AND RAN WITH IT
THUS ORIGINATING THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF
THE RUGBY GAME
A.D. 1823

So, bless William Webb Ellis, and all those who’ve had fine disregard for the rules, thereby creating something new. Including Rugby, including U.S. Footall. It seems like the “happiest accidents” occur because someone trys something new.

And, bless my old buddies that I played rugby with at UT Rugby.

Sidenote: Do you know how they say “You never know who’s gonna show up at your wedding”? Well I invited Chris Brunell to my wedding back in August 2001. He was the only one on the team I had really been staying in touch with. He’s the one on his back laughing in the front right (I think he was laughing about me kissing the ground like the Pope). Anyway, he drove all the way up to Cleveland, Ohio for my wedding, and completely unannounced, brought with him old friends Bill “Flounder” Bartok (2nd from left-top), and Jose Arellaga (not pictured). I was delighted to see them, and it was really nice to have old friends sitting on my side of the aisle (which was pretty sparse since everyone on my side was an out-of-town guest). 

Now that’s friendship!!