Founded in 1984, Kutztown University Men's Rugby is a force to be reckoned with. Since 1986, under the direction of head coach, Gregg "Doc" Jones, KU has never experienced a losing season, with numerous undefeated seasons, more than eight hundred victories, and the most recent seasons ending with a 157-10-1 record. KU rugby fields two sides during the fall fifteens season, three sevens sides in the spring, and plays on a dedicated, full size rugby pitch. There are four full time coaches with more than sixty participating members representing 13 states and four nations. The university supports the club in all endeavors of managing the sport on campus. Throughout the club's 30 years, there have been outstanding individual achievements: scores of EPRU Select Side and MARFU Select Side player appointments; twenty USA All-American Collegiate selections; one USA Eagle Sevens Team member, Marco Barnard; and most recently, Michael Lawrenson a 2014 graduate, who was on a professional contract to play for Counties Manakau Steelers in New Zealand, and has returned to take the helm of the Palmer Men’s Rugby Club. In addition, as a KU Senior, Niku Kruger was a member of the USA Selects team that completed a three-game tour in South America in spring 2015. He went on to play for the USA Eagles in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, earning his second international cap during the USA v South Africa matchup. His first test match cap was in August, 2015 against Canada. Alex Faison-Donahoe is poised to join this elite group and was selected a member of the USA Falcons for the Halloween 7s Elite Invitational Tournament in Florida, October 31 and Nov. 1, 2015.
2013-14 was a tremendous year for the Golden Bears. Not only did the fall witness an undefeated 15s season, but Kutztown captured the inaugural American Collegiate Rugby Conference Championship (ACRC) as the capstone. The spring of 2014 was the first where Kutztown focused purely on 7s. The team stood poised to make a spectacular return to the 2014 Collegiate Rugby Championships, its second bid to the series. Kutztown reached the CRC Championship game after besting Life University in a come-from-behind 19-17 victory, setting the stage for a Golden Bears vs Golden Bears finale. Kutztown finished as the runner-up to Cal following a narrow 24-21 defeat.
2014-15 was another year to remember. KU had a tremendous fall 15s season that ended with the defeat of the University of Michigan to take the American Collegiate Rugby Championship title. In the spring, KU dominated 7s tournament play with more than 45 victories and five tournament wins to their credit, culminating in a decisive win over AIC to take the ACRC crown. In May, the KU Golden Bears once again took their place among the nation's elite in a return to the 2015 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, again coming in second to three-time winner Cal 17-12 in a stunning overtime battle. Program Stats
Founded in 1984
30 Years of a Winning Record under Coach Doc Jones (1986-Present)
820+ wins
Collegiate Rugby Championship Runner-Up 2014, 2015
ACRC Champions 2013, 2014
29 USA Collegiate All-Americans
3 USA Junior Eagle U-20 World Cup Team Members
1 USA Eagle 15s Team Member, Member of 2015 Rugby World Cup squad - Niku Kruger '15
1 Professional Team Member for the Glendale Raptors in Colorado - Niku Kruger '15
1 USA Eagle 7s Team Member - Marco Barnard
1 Professional Team Member for the Counties Manaku Steelers in New Zealand - Mike Lawrenson '14 (now Head Coach for Palmer College Men's Rugby)
