Bart Butler officially founded the MTSU Rugby Football Club in the Fall of 1980. As with any start-up venture the club had its share of ups and downs and many times the team had to pick up players from opponents so the game could be played. The club survived and slowly built up a roster of colorful characters that helped to mold the team. In those early years, the club was outfitted by many non-students and the team did not participate in the official National Collegiate Championship Series. MTSU Rugby now had its own team.

The Mid-Eighties Transition

(Back Row L to R) Brian McElroy, the late Dave Smith, Mark "Goon" DiNardo, Mike McIntyre, Rob Cameron. (Front Row L to R) Jason Archer, Tony Neely, Keith Burnett, Barry Dunavant.

In 1984 and 1985, the MTSU Rugby Club competed as a Club-side team and finished in the top four of the Mid-South. After the Fall of 1985, the club decided that matter the cost, the club should be a collegiate team. The next few years proved to be a struggle as a brand new batch of young players filled the ranks. Steadily the team got better and soon became competitive in the hunt for the Mid-South Collegiate Title. It was also in 1985 that the MTSU Rugby Alumni Foundation was formed.The Nineties:Beginning in 1988 through 1997, MTSU Rugby always played in the finals of the Mid-South Championships. It won the Tournament three times and came in second place a heartbreaking seven times. While there was great success during this era, there was also turbulence in the early and mid-nineties. Like most rugby clubs of the time, parties and rowdy behavior was the norm. The club's reputation generated little support from the University officials. In the mid-nineties, this attitude drastically changed as the Alumni Foundation became more involved. We now have an excellent relationship with the University and operating expenses are funded through the student activity fees. Players have access to a state of the art Recreation Center. This includes the use of weight rooms, an indoor practice facility for winter training sessions, and a classroom for chalk talks and video sessions.

The Next Generation:

The new Millennium has opened the gateway for the next generation of rugby players that will drive the MTSU Rugby Club straight to the top. Plans have been made and are now moving forward in creating a new state of the art, high quality Rugby Park. These playing fields will allow the next generation of Moosemen to raise the bar in competitive Division I Collegiate Rugby. These plans include several fenced in rugby pitches, scoreboards, separate men's and women's locker rooms, bleachers, lights, a parking lot, and a concrete trail throughout the park.

Winning Traditions:

1988 - 1997:
Mid-South Runner-Up (7x) / Mid-South Champions (3x)

1998:
South Runner-Up (vs Clemson)

1999:
South Champions (vs Georgia Tech) / 9th Nationally (vs Cal Berkley & Chico State)

2000:
South Champions (vs Univ. of North Carolina) / 7th Nationally (vs Cal Berkley) / All-Star National Champions (vs Pacific Coast)

2002:
South Champions (vs Univ. of North Carolina) / 9th Nationally (vs Cal Berkley & Air Force)

2003:
South Runner-Up (vs Univ. of North Carolina)

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