In a celebration enjoyed by players past and present, Dartmouth men's and women's rugby clubs opened their brand new clubhouse this weekend. With the opening of the Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse and Brophy and Battle fields, Dartmouth College now boasts one of the premier rugby facilities in the country. The historic event that began Friday and ended Saturday honored Corey Ford, Dartmouth rugby's most storied coach, through speeches, dinners, and the clubhouse that bears his name. Saturday also included two matches. The women's club took on their rivals Radcliffe, losing 14-5. The men's club, in the main event of the weekend, took on Army, losing an extremely close match 30-25.
The dedication of the clubhouse began with speeches on Friday night attended by more than 600 alumni, students and friends of Dartmouth rugby. Michael Chu '68, a former Dartmouth rugby player and a current trustee of the College, made the first remarks of the evening. Commenting on the two new fields adjacent to the clubhouse, Chu remarked, "The Battle and Brophy fields make a beautiful home for the outstanding friendship that is Dartmouth rugby." He went on to honor Corey Ford by calling him "the godfather of Dartmouth rugby."
Ford was a writer who moved to Hanover in 1952. His home just so happened to be right next to the rugby fields and after taking interest in the sport and the spirit of the club, Ford opened his home to the players. He soon became the first coach of Dartmouth rugby although he was more of a mentoring figure. In his article "Football for Fun," Ford once wrote, "I am hailed as 'Coach' for want of a better title." President Wright, who also made a speech, said that Ford's secret to coaching was "non-coaching." Ford was just as much a friend to the players as he was a coach.
"Corey helped people make their dreams come true," said James Perkins '55, who played for Ford and considered him a very close friend. The clubhouse was not only a dream for the club, but it was a dream for Ford as well. The initial donation to the clubhouse, and the reason for its name, came from Ford's will. Later members of the club built on his vision and after raising over a million dollars, getting the cooperation of the College, fighting lawsuits and waiting through the actual construction, the clubhouse was finally dedicated and put to use this weekend.
A men's and women's alumni game that christened the new Brophy Field kicked off a series of rugby matches Saturday afternoon. Following the alumni game the women's rugby team took the field against Radcliffe, ranked 15th nationally.
Defense was the story of the first half and the two teams started the second half in a scoreless tie. Radcliffe came out with increased intensity in the second half and scored a try and made the conversion to open the scoring at 7-0. Not letting up, the Radcliffe women scored another try and converted again to take a commanding 14-0 lead. The Dartmouth women did not quit, however, and managed to score one try and avoid the shutout for a 14-5 loss.
The men's game commenced at 3 p.m. before a thousand fans on a picturesque afternoon in Hanover as the men in green rose to the supreme challenge of competing against the No. 5 team in the country, the Black Knights of Army. Dartmouth opened the scoring when a fourth minute Army penalty in their territory gave co-captain fullback Andrew Caspary '06 the opportunity to kick three points for Dartmouth.
Army responded, however, as the Black Knights' fullback scored a try in the corner making the score 3-5. The lead did not last as Caspary was again given the opportunity to kick for points off an Army penalty and he again came through.
In the 23rd minute a well-run lineout in Army territory resulted in an overlap in the Army defense that the Dartmouth back line capitalized on by attacking to open space. The phase ended with Caspary touching the ball down for the dry and converting the kick to bring the score to 13-5.
Army answered back, and after a Dartmouth penalty, scored a try, pulling them within three points at 13-10. In the closing minutes of the half Army was able to tie the game at 13 by kicking for points after another Dartmouth penalty.
The Black Knights continued their stellar play to begin the second half and took advantage of sloppy handling errors by Dartmouth forwards. Dartmouth dropped the ball off the opening kick and the Black Knights capitalized on a scrum deep in Dartmouth's zone to take an 18-13 lead.
The even play continued as Dartmouth quickly answered back with co-captain Jesse Blom '06 touching the ball down for a try. Caspary missed the conversion and the score remained tied 18-18. Army took a 12-point lead, their biggest of the game, after scoring tries in the 20th and 31st minute and making one conversion.
At this point the crowd and the atmosphere was at a fever pitch as chants of "Let's Go Dartmouth" erupted from the hills surrounding Brophy field. Dartmouth used the fan support to fight back and Aziz Sayigh '07 scored an impressive try in the 76th minute. The conversion by Caspary made the score 25-30.
Dartmouth used the momentum and marched down the pitch with determination, looking for the equalizer in the closing minutes. The men in green soon found themselves five meters from the Army tryline feverishly attempting to push the ball in for the score. Despite Army committing two penalties and giving Dartmouth a chance for set plays, the men in green were unable to cross the tryline. As play continued with desperation, Dartmouth was ultimately penalized for holding on to the ball and Army kicked the ball to end the game with the final score at 25-30.
The loss aside, the Dartmouth men played an outstanding game and capped off a spectacular weekend. Wayne Young '72 -- a former coach of Dartmouth rugby and one of the speechmakers Friday night -- summarized the great feeling that the dedication of the clubhouse and the excitement of the many future games to be played on Brophy Field will bring to Dartmouth rugby. "36 years after Corey's first will, our dream and his vision are realized," he said.
