Dallas Harlequins
Encyclopedia
The Dallas Harlequins Rugby Football Club is a SuperLeague rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 team based in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

.

History

The Harlequins formed in 1971. A year after inception, in 1972, the Harlequins became the first Texas RFU club to win a match against a club from outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 when they defeated the Baillou Club of Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...

. The team name is a tribute to Harlequins FC, an English
Rugby union in England
Rugby union is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports in England. A popular myth is that Rugby was created in England in 1823, when William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a football match at Rugby School. In 1871 the RFU was formed by 21 clubs and the...

 club that competes in the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

. Though they had begun using the Harlequin name upon formation, they did not become formally affiliated with Harlequins FC until 1983. This marked the first time that a club from the western hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...

had formed an official relationship with the team for whom they were named. The Harlequins won the 1984 USA National Championships. The Quins are also 21-time Texas RFU Champions, and have finished in the top 3 at USA National Championships 6 times. Harlequins who have played for the USA national team include Brett 'Rosey' Taylor, Bruce 'Monkey' Monroe, Jason Engelbrecht, Taylor Mokate, Justin Boyd, Blake Rodgers,and Bob Olsonoski.Harleqiuns who have represented The Western United States Rugby Territory select side include Brett Taylor, Bruce 'Monkey' Monroe, Ed 'Spyk' Gheur, Bob 'Ludo' Lutterbach, Norbert Mueller, Steve Ryan, Duane "Tiny" Watts, Bob Saunders, Phil Waterman, Bob Waterman, Mark Carrion, Johan Van Rensburg, Brian Driscoll, Jess Marshall, Jason Engelbrecht, Taylor Mokate, Justin Boyd, Blake Rodgers, Dallas Hosted the Mexican National 7's Side in the summer of 2008. Harlequins Dylan Carrion and Mike Ashmead both scored in this contest, but the score of this contest has conspicuously been concealed. In addition long standing Dallas Harlequin Bob Latham has held numerous positions in sports, including Vice Chairman and former Chairman of USA Rugby, former member of Board of Directors of US Olympic Committee, President of North America Caribbean Rugby Association, Director and former President of Dallas All Sports Association, and Vice President of Pan American Rugby Association.

Sponsorship

One of the Harlequin's main sponsors is Crispin Cider. In addition to Crispin, Dallas Harlequins RFC has individual sponsorships. Notable primary sponsors include Plains Capital Bank. The club also has several secondary sponsorships from local and regional businesses such as Texas State Movers, which is owned by former U19 Harlequin Colts coach George Munstedt and Accede Construction, owned and operated by loyal Quins Jess and Andrew Marshall.

External links

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