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Kansas City Blues (USA Rugby)
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Blues Rugby Football Club is a USA Rugby Division 1 rugby union
team based in Kansas City, Missouri
. Up until 2007, the team played in the Super League, but were replaced that year by the Chicago Griffins
.
Based on a loose affiliation with both UMKC and Rockhurst College, the Kansas City Blues Rugby Club was established in 1966. Strides were taken to early on to develop a unique Club identity and culture by the founding members, and throughout the 70’s and 80’s, the Blues elevated their rugby
knowledge and skill level to become one of the dominant teams in the United States. In 2009, the Blues field an active roster of 65 players, an Old Boys side (35+ years) called the Blues Brothers, a high school side (Jr. Blues), a close affiliation with three additional high school age sides (Gentlemen of Olathe, Blue Valley RFC, St. Thomas Aquinas RFC), and an even larger supporting cast of non-playing members.
Since 1993, the Blues have participated in two Division 1 National Championships in 15’s rugby, placing 4th in 1993 and 3rd in 1994. The Blues have also been a fixture in the 7’s National Championships, qualifying in 8 of the last 16 years, placing 2nd in 1993, 5th in 1998 and 2nd in 2000. The Blues Brothers are perennial contenders at Aspen’s Ruggerfest, having won the Over-35 Division in 5 of the last 8 years.
In 1997 the Blues were a founding member of the United States Rugby Super League (US). The Rugby Super League is the premier competition in the US, made up of the top 15 teams in the nation, spanning from Boston
to San Diego. The spring of 2002 saw the Blues advance to the RSL Semi-Finals with an impressive 5-2-1 record in league play. The Blues made the decision of self-relegation from the Super League in 2007, one that has allowed the Club to re-tool in Division 1 and develop a program that has aspired to again reaching the National Championships. In 2008 the Blues and County Sundogs merged under the Blues umbrella, and the Club now competes in the West D1 and D2 leagues weekly.
Over the years, countless Blues have represented the Western Territory at the National All-Star Championships, and on tours with the Western Territory to New Zealand
and Canada
. 2007 marked the final year of the Western Mustangs participation in the NASC’s with no Blues on the roster, one Blue was able to play at the All-Star Championships however as flanker Clint Olearnick helped lead the Combined Services to a 7th place finish. It is worth noting that over 40 current and former Blues have represented the Club and the West at the ITT’s/NASC’s from 1975-2007. Blues Conner Smith and Joe D’Agostino were also named to the still existing Western Mustangs 7s player pool in the summer of 2008, an honor no Blue has had since 2001.
The Blues have also recently sent a number of players to the United States national rugby union team
, The Eagles, in both 7’s and 15’s rugby. Establishing a tradition in the 70’s and 80’s with the Eagles through Hal Edwards (Reserve ‘76-’84), Gary Shull (Cougars ’76), Vic Clark (Cougars '78), Kirk Miles (2 caps ‘82), Fred Paoli (20 caps ‘82-’91), Frank Kennedy (USA ‘A’ ’88), most recently Doug Brown, Michael Skahan, and Steve Robke all spent a considerable amount of time on tour with the Eagles 7’s side in the late 90’s and early 00’s. Maika Sika has been capped over 45 times for the both the 7’s and 15’s sides, and Tim Kluempers represented the US in 15’s three times in 2001. Flanker Clint Olearnick was named to the 2008 Eagle Player Pool by USA Rugby Director Nigel Melville.
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 Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Up until 2007, the team played in the Super League, but were replaced that year by the Chicago Griffins
Chicago Griffins
The Chicago Griffins RFC rugby union team was founded in 1973. The team competes in the RSL and play their home games at Schiller Woods in Schiller Park, Illinois, USA.- 2010 Team :*1.Jojo Bucci*2.Keith Bowen*3.Tim Paulsen*4.Stephen Wolff...
.
Kansas City Blues RFC History
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...
knowledge and skill level to become one of the dominant teams in the United States. In 2009, the Blues field an active roster of 65 players, an Old Boys side (35+ years) called the Blues Brothers, a high school side (Jr. Blues), a close affiliation with three additional high school age sides (Gentlemen of Olathe, Blue Valley RFC, St. Thomas Aquinas RFC), and an even larger supporting cast of non-playing members.
Since 1993, the Blues have participated in two Division 1 National Championships in 15’s rugby, placing 4th in 1993 and 3rd in 1994. The Blues have also been a fixture in the 7’s National Championships, qualifying in 8 of the last 16 years, placing 2nd in 1993, 5th in 1998 and 2nd in 2000. The Blues Brothers are perennial contenders at Aspen’s Ruggerfest, having won the Over-35 Division in 5 of the last 8 years.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to San Diego. The spring of 2002 saw the Blues advance to the RSL Semi-Finals with an impressive 5-2-1 record in league play. The Blues made the decision of self-relegation from the Super League in 2007, one that has allowed the Club to re-tool in Division 1 and develop a program that has aspired to again reaching the National Championships. In 2008 the Blues and County Sundogs merged under the Blues umbrella, and the Club now competes in the West D1 and D2 leagues weekly.
Match Schedule and Travel Opportunities
The fall season is composed of mostly local and regional match play for the Blues, highlighted of course by the annual trek to Aspen for the infamous Ruggerfest, as well as the start to the split-season West Division 1 and Division 2 Northern League match play. The Club completes the League seasons in the early spring as playoffs loom, and throughout the fall and spring the Reserve side plays non-league matches against regional Div 2 & 3 clubs. Travel expenses are often off-set by club fundraising and sponsorship, and no player is ever left at home for financial reasons.Representative and International Players
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. 2007 marked the final year of the Western Mustangs participation in the NASC’s with no Blues on the roster, one Blue was able to play at the All-Star Championships however as flanker Clint Olearnick helped lead the Combined Services to a 7th place finish. It is worth noting that over 40 current and former Blues have represented the Club and the West at the ITT’s/NASC’s from 1975-2007. Blues Conner Smith and Joe D’Agostino were also named to the still existing Western Mustangs 7s player pool in the summer of 2008, an honor no Blue has had since 2001.
The Blues have also recently sent a number of players to the United States national rugby union team
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
, The Eagles, in both 7’s and 15’s rugby. Establishing a tradition in the 70’s and 80’s with the Eagles through Hal Edwards (Reserve ‘76-’84), Gary Shull (Cougars ’76), Vic Clark (Cougars '78), Kirk Miles (2 caps ‘82), Fred Paoli (20 caps ‘82-’91), Frank Kennedy (USA ‘A’ ’88), most recently Doug Brown, Michael Skahan, and Steve Robke all spent a considerable amount of time on tour with the Eagles 7’s side in the late 90’s and early 00’s. Maika Sika has been capped over 45 times for the both the 7’s and 15’s sides, and Tim Kluempers represented the US in 15’s three times in 2001. Flanker Clint Olearnick was named to the 2008 Eagle Player Pool by USA Rugby Director Nigel Melville.