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Dear Badger Rugby Alumni and Friends, Happy New Year, Everyone!  We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and we are excited for the new beginnings in 2026. I’m proud to share some very exciting news — the Badger Men’s Rugby Alumni Association  is now officially established and is a recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.  As a public charity, all donations to Badger Men’s Rugby Alumni Association are tax deductible to the extent of the law. This is a

By T.J. Brugger Although Coach Kurtis does not like being in the limelight, after several requests by this writer, he has finally agreed to be interviewed for this article!  Current Head Coach Kurtis Shepherd began playing rugby in his freshman year of high school. After football season, there was an expectation to participate in track and field, however, Kurtis was not inclined. His locker neighbor, Ben Stanley, asked if he would rather play rugby. Kurtis then joined the Mar

By T.J. Brugger Since its inception in 1962, until the start of the UW RFC in 1977, the Wisconsin Rugby Football Club club was made up of both students and non-students. Starting in about 1975-76, a public concern arose regarding non-students participating in on-campus club sports. Because of this, the WRFC needed to leave campus and began playing on different fields around Madison before eventually settling in Cottage Grove. Don Becker had been playing rugby on campus since

By TJ Brugger   Ryan McDowell's first rugby match in 1994 was like many debuts—it was the first game he'd ever watched. "It's hard to imagine the first time you ever play a game, that it was the first game you ever saw," he reflects. That moment of discovery would spark a lifelong passion that has taken him from the fields of Madison to playing & coaching the next generation across 27 states. Ryan arrived at UW during a transitional period for the club. With Stu Pippel havin

Dan Gaenslen began his time at UW-Madison in 2011 as a second-year student. During his first year of college, he played football for Winona State University before transferring to UW-Madison. Once on campus, he looked for an opportunity to continue playing contact sports… and he found rugby. He quickly took to the sport and stayed at loosehead prop for the duration of his time with the club. During his senior year in 2014 UW-Madison competed against Ohio State for the Big Ten

By TJ Brugger Joel Amidon joined the team as a sophomore in 1998. He became a leader of the club, rising to the task of Treasurer,...

By T.J. Brugger Dugan Winkie stumbled into rugby his first year of college, Spring 2004, much like many do: someone asked him to play....

By T.J. Brugger Kirt Soukup played for the club from 1985 through 1986. He began college at the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point...

UW vs. WRC in November, 1978 at the University Bay fields. Players left to right are Jay Rusek, Dan Chitwood, Bill Warner (making the...

Phil Callen began his playing career with WRC in 1976. He played there for four seasons, being their captain in 1980, before moving to...

George Hurtis began his time with the Club in 1978. As a freshman coming from rural North-West Wisconsin, he had experience on the...

Rich Beckmann began his playing career in 1981 with the UW-Rugby Club. He remembers his first game well, walking onto the pitch with no...