George Mason Rugby Football Club History
The George Mason RFC was formed in the Fall of 1965 at George Mason College of the
University of Virginia in Fairfax. Two incoming freshmen, Rick Stafford and George Wiltshire,
spotted a notice about rugby on a bulletin board in the student lounge. At that time there was
only flag football offered, and these two were curious to learn about a contact sport unknown to
them. They contacted GMC upper classman Bob Aitcheson, who was recruiting players for
Washington Rugby Club. Stafford and Wiltshire quickly found themselves practicing with
Washington on the Ellipse. Post practice gatherings built instant camaraderie, and the hook was
in.
In turn, Stafford and Wiltshire began enticing other Mason students to join them in those
practices. Quickly they were joined by Ron Swanson, Jody Taylor, and Nick Scholl. Soon, with
encouragement and support from Dean of Students Meb Turner, the decision was made to form
the Club on campus. Two leather balls were acquired and Jerry Taylor, a graduate student at
George Washington University, volunteered to coach. The GMRFC was born, only the
second rugby club in the Washington, DC area.
More students joined as Dean Turner pointed those with an athletic background the Club’s way,
and eventually there were enough bodies for a full 15 man team. Practices were held on the
sparse and rocky turf behind the South Building. Spring semester of 1966 the first few matches
were played against Norfolk, University of VA, and Washington. As rookies playing against
established club sides losses were inevitable, but those results did not diminish the
determination of those early players to learn the game and win matches.
The challenge in the early days was finding fields on which to host home games. Fortune smiled
as we were able to use existing facilities at Intermediate Schools around Fairfax County In the
next year Robinson Field was built and became the home of the Rugby Club. As the first
intercollegiate sport on campus, it was only fitting that the Rugby Club inaugurated it.
Through the late 60’s, the club was mostly self coached as previously experienced players
began attending George Mason. Although the College population continued to grow, the
student ranks of the ruby club remained steady, or even declined slightly. It became difficult to
maintain a regular roster of 25 players, which was the bare minimum to field two teams on any
game day. The occasional spectator or player’s room-mate were often pulled in to fill the gap.
The decision was made to allow non-students to join, and a robust recruitment campaign
yielded results; experienced former players were collared, athletes from other sports, and even
returning Vietnam veterans. This effort bolstered the Club ranks and created a solid 35 man
cadre who allowed for the increased knowledge and skills which had been wanting. Now
GM RFC were able to rise within the Potomac Rugby Union and play against the increasing
number of University and Men’s Club teams.
In 1970 the Club struck gold when acquiring Welshman Tony Rees of the Royal Army as its
coach. The level of play increased considerably, and more and better players joined the Club.
Fortune smiled again when the Royal Army replacement for Tony Rees was also a rugby man
and provided a seamless coaching transition in 1972. Major David Bramble took the reins and
the level of play continued to rise under his tutelage. Mason were no longer able to play at the
GMU campus and the odyssey of finding a regular home began again.
David was adamant that a club’s play should be supported by a strong club bond of players’
family and friends within the local community. Post-match socials and special events were well
supported and enhanced by that sector of the club. The first annual banquet and picnic were
organized and observed during that time. Additionally, GMRFC hosted its first International
touring team, Bank of England in 1973. The increased level of competition strengthened the
quality of play and increased the camaraderie within club as a whole.
In 1974 David Bramble’s US tour ended, and he returned to UK. His legacy remained strong as
the Club ranks had swelled to 105 dues paying members, with 90 players on the roster… 6 full
teams! Unfortunately, there were only a handful of Mason students on the Club at the time and a
difficult decision had to be made. The remaining students repatriated the Club as GMU RFC,
thus beginning the rebirth of the current club on campus. The remainder of the non-student
roster rebranded themselves as Northern Virginia RFC.