Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club 
February 18,  2017
Spring 2017 Pre Season Report

Hello Old Boys!

Before the KU Basketball Team monopolizes your attention, take a look at the Jayhawks' excellent upcoming spring RUGBY season.

Click on this  LINK  to see how the players themselves are looking at the coming spring. They are going on tour to New Zealand this summer. The always entertaining Golf Rodeo reports back on their January trip to Florida.
(In new "fast read" format. You can read this whole edition in just a few minutes.) 



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To make a charitable gift  to help support  this great club,  go to JayhawkRugby.com and use your credit card to donate on line.


If you would like to download the past issues and learn the half century history of the club, hit the following links:
 
LINK  to see  Issue # 1 , January 2012, feature: "Starting the Club From Scratch". Interview with club founder, George Bunting about 1964 and his philosophy about rugby.
 
LINK  to see  Issue # 2 , April 2012, feature: 1964 - 67 era. Playing in the initial years and going on Tour of Ivy League Schools. Interviews with founding players, Pat Rapp, John LaRocca, Jack Lembeck, Joe Kieltyka, and Don Dale. Coverage of spring 2012 MU Merit Table game.

LINK to see Issue # 3 , July 2012, feature: 1968 - 72 era. Talented clique of players that played in 1970 Aspen Ruggerfest finals as remembered by Jack Kline. Interviews with Tom McCormack, Hal Edwards, Dan Marting, and Kim Ewonus. Story of the "Dead Dog Chant" by Jack Kline. Link to YouTube video of 1966 game.

LINK  to see Issue # 4, October 2012, feature 1973 - 75 era. Club wobbles then rebounds to win Big 8 Championship. (How the club rebuilt.) Story of club's first 6 games against K-State. Photos from very first Alumni Game in 1974.  Features: Steve Swalwell, Andy Sibbernsen, CC Buck, Roger Walter, Steve Lange, and Rick Whitson. Coverage of fall 2012 KC Blues game and Aspen Ruggerfest.

LINK to see  Issue # 5 , January 2013, feature: 1975 - 79 era. Allen Chapman remembered by Roger Walter. Interview with long-serving CEO Paul Diedrich. First Foreign Tour remembered by Jack Kline. "The Terrible Fear of Being Pied" by Dan Katz. Interviews with ex-player coaches, Doug McCauley & Billy Pryor
 
LINK t o see  Issue # 6 ,  April 2013, feature 1978 - 85 era. Renfro & Hassig buy Johnny's Tavern. Louie Riederer's contributions. The 1982 run at the Western RFU club playoffs remembered by Jimmy Bartle, Kirk Goza, and Bill Mills. 1985 HoA victory remembered by Lou Blanco. Bill Mills muses on the 1970's
 
LINK t o see Issue # 7 , July 2013, feature 1985 - 90 era. Interviews with the era's College Captain Pat Roberts and Club Captain, Don "Duck" Harris. The "Forgotten Tour" by Pat Roberts. Link to blog covering 2013 South Africa Tour. Memorium for players we have lost. Game plan for recruiting and request for alumni financial help.
 
LINK  to see  Issue # 8, October 2013, feature 1990 - 95 era. Purchase of Westwick. Interviews with Steve Merdinger & Grant Lechtenberg. John Brown outlines Ad Hoc Fund Raising Committee. LinkedIn group launched. YouTube link to Pat Rapp speech to college side. Thanks to Social Members "The Rothwell Clan". Coverage of the Women's Club. Photos of a 2013 televised game.
 
LINK  to see Issue # 9, January 2014, feature 1995 - 2000 era. I nterview with era's Club Captain, Derek Mannell who provides a wealth of photos. Interviews with (then) Men's coach Scott Adamson and Women's coach Kjrsten Abel-Ruch. Women's club is undefeated and going to national playoffs; story by Shelby Williams. Club launches intern program linking students with alumni.
 
LINK  to see  Issue # 10 , April 2014, feature 2000-2005 era. Interviews with Jason Ahrens & Oliver Parkinson who played for the Jayhawks and then lived and played abroad using the club's connections. Club Founder George Bunting shares his scrap book from the founding years.

LINK t o see the first 1/2 of Issue # 11 July 2014, features: Is Rugby "Important"? by Fritz Edmunds, interview with home-grown 2nd row Jacob Ornburn, article about the Hawks  PAIR  of 300 lbs props, women's club ranked # 5 in USA, K-State game photos & story, the Alumni Weekend photos, and this
LINK  to see the  second 1/2 of newsletter) the remainder of George Bunting's scrap book.

LINK  to see Issue # 12 - September 2014, features: Club Budget and Income (appeal for support), Fall Recruiting Campaign, Interviews  with Cody Weber & Sean Rothwell which explained the unique Jayhawk rugby "experience", photos from Royals Game, 1965 team photo with names, Ian Henry muses on the 1970's, and a link to watch the full-length 1982 win over the St. Louis Falcons.

LINK to see  Issue # 13 - January 2015 -  Bumper crop of great FRESHMAN players described by Coach Matt Schwartz. -  KU's student-abroad program from viewpoint of Alex Cattle. -  Summary of this past fall's games. -  Summary of Anniversary Banquet presentation and anniversary photos.

LINK to see  Issue # 14 - March 2015 - MU game in 2015 and 40 years ago 1975, link to YouTube game movies of early 1980's Jayhawks playing KC Blues, link to more photos from the 50th reunion, club founder George Bunting writes in with some interesting photos from first years of the club.

LINK to see Issue # 15 - June 2015 - The rugby club lays out its plans for the future. The bumper crop of talented freshmen go to Ireland and lay the foundation for what could become a "great club". Summary of the games played in the completed spring season with photos. Interview with 2nd generation front row player Ryan Russell. Former Jayhawk and current high school coach Matt O'Donnell talks about the players now with KU. Kernow Cup and other awards announced.

LINK to see Issue # 16 - September 2015 - Remembering the 1966 Ivy League Tour as its 50th Anniversary approaches. Examples of fall recruiting that blend use of social media and old fashioned recruiting. Conor Taft returns to the club to help in some innovative recruiting. Danny Buteyn returns for a 5th year and reflects on the club's past 3 years.

LINK to see  Issue # 17 - December 2015 - Interview with sophomore captain Matt Harmon, who is pre-med and entering his 8th years of playing rugby. - It was a great season where everything started to come together for the club. - Summary of the fall 2015 games. 

LINK  to see Issue # 18 - February 2016 - Feature interview with freshman 2nd row/lock Ryan Harriman from Florida, ranked as one of 135 best players nationally. - Photos of spring scrimmage.

LINK to see  Issue # 19 - June 2016 - Featuring results of spring matches, introduction of our first recruited Study Abroad player, Barcley West from England, annual club awards, and some game highlight photos.

LINK to to see Issue # 20 - August 2016 - Featuring interview with mid-1960's captain and scrum half Mac Crowther - outline of Jayhawks recruiting plan - Westwick to host the re-started Heart of America Union College All-Star Team and then an Aspen Ruggerfest entry for that squad.

LINK to see  Issue # 21 - November 2016 - Featuring: Game results from the fall, Impact on the rugby club from working with the KU Study Abroad Dept, which includes Jayhawk Ryan Russell going to Australia for spring 2017 semester and (interview with) Barcley West coming to KU for a full year from Essex in England.

The purpose of this quarterly newsletter series is to engage the past players of the club. Through these newsletters, we provide current news about the club and also chronicle its more than half century history.

We want to expand the distribution list of emails. If you know other past players, please have them send me their email address at pd4bicycles@aol.com 
Steven Lange
Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club