Singing The Praises of Unsung Athletes

As ESPN’s College GameDay prepares to turn Penn’s Franklin Field into the center of the college football universe on Saturday, I can’t help but consider those on the margins.

The recent achievements of the Harvard Rugby Football Club has forced me to consider the efforts of those dedicated athletes not recognized as varsity by the University’s athletic department.

Lost in the swirl of the ubiquitous DHAs of varsity and junior varsity athletes are the accomplishments of one of the nation’s finest rugby teams.

By splitting its weekend matches against Norwich and Army, Harvard qualified as one of the 16 teams that will compete in the national tournament this spring. The Crimson lost to the highly-ranked Cadets for the second time this season (its only two losses), but still earned the 15th seed in the tournament.

In light of the fact that the rugby team did not exist due to disciplinary reasons in 1998, this accomplishment must be considered as impressive as field hockey’s run to the dance or Carl Morris’s national media exposure, two recent hyped-up Harvard athletic achievements.

And the men of the pitch have only themselves to thank for their accomplishments.

Without varsity funding or access to training facilities and coaches, the team has looked to its alumni and its own members to keep the oldest rugby team in the nation functional.

Considering that varsity athletes do not have to worry about finding transportation to contests, or setting a budget and staying within it for the year, the administrative responsibilities tacked on to the physical preparation make for an intense commitment.

Unfortunately, that’s often unrecognized by fans of Harvard athletics. With 41 teams representing sports as diverse as football and fencing, fan support is not a given at any event.

Sadly, the dedicated members of the Harvard rugby team—and let’s not forget their women counterparts, the Radcliffe Rugby Football Club—do not attract much attention. Alumni support is strong, but students tend to ignore the teams’ existence.

Without university funding, the ruggers have leaned hard on alumni funds to make ends meet. The institutional and financial backing of the Friends of Harvard Rugby has made competition possible. The women, without the extensive network of alumni to draw from, deserve perhaps even more credit, as they run the club on an even tighter budget.

None of this really makes rugby different than any other hardworking, do-it-themselves club team, such as the Harvard’s ultimate frisbee squad. Perhaps this column is just one more form of that constant plea for undergrads to take an active interest in their classmates’ athletic pursuits, and show up for games, meets or matches.

This has never been more pressing than now. With Harvard’s featured role on ESPN this weekend, its recent ranking by Sports Illustrated as one of the finer athletic programs in the nation and a host of intelligent, dedicated and passionate athletes, being a Harvard sports fan has never been more exciting, or easier.

Good luck to the football team, congrats to the rugby men and field hockey women, and thanks to all of the athletes in between for your commitment.

I hope the fans turn out and show you their appreciation as well.

—Staff writer Rob Cacace can be reached at cacace@fas.harvard.edu.