Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Club

Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Football Club

Union	USA Rugby, Michigan Rugby Union, Division I and Division III
Founded	1978
Ground(s)	Glenn W. Levey Middle School, Southfield, MI
President	Kirk Borger
Coach(es)	Dan Thompson
Captain(s)	Todd Shimshock
League(s)	Midwest Rugby Division I, Eastern Conference; Midwest Rugby Division III, Eastern Conference, Northern League
Official website
detroittradesmen.com

The Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Southfield, Michigan and member of USA Rugby,^[1]Division I Midwest Rugby Eastern Conference^[2] and Division III Midwest Rugby Eastern Conference, Northern League ^[3] and Division III of the Michigan Rugby Football Union.^[4][5]

History

The Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Football Club is the only men's Division I rugby team in the Michigan. The team was established in 1978 when several Detroit Rugby Football Club players broke off to form a new club focused on playing a different style of rugby. Founded by Jim Dunn and led by his brothers Joe and Tom, along with Mike Douglas, Bob Davis and Jim Kennedy, the team took its name from its roster, which primarily consisted of carpenters, pipe fitters, electricians and building tradesmen.

The Detroit Tradesmen played its inaugural match the fall of 1978 against a well-established Sarnia, Ontario club. Although the team was only able to field 11 players out of a possible 15, the Tradesmen lost by only four points. The following spring, the club placed fourth in a 50-team Mardi Gras tournament in New Orleans, kicking off a tradition of more than 20 years of excellence.

Today, the active Detroit Tradesmen roster contains more than fifty players. In addition to the skilled trades, the club now includes students, engineers, salesmen, teachers, lawyers, auto workers, computer technicians, bankers, brokers and members of the law enforcement and medical communities. Yet, regardless of the occupation, background and beliefs, the Detroit Tradesmen remain a rugby club committed to offering Southeastern Michigan exciting and competitive rugby football.

For the past 14 years the Tradesmen have qualified for the national playoffs, few teams in the nation claim this consistency.

Division I

After a USA Rugby Division II Final Four run in the 2002-2003 season, the Detroit Tradesmen RFC were moved up to the highly competitive Division I bracket. The Tradesmen's first year in Division I set the tone of excellence as they went undefeated and were Midwest East Champions. This was followed up by a second place finish in the Midwest Tournament. If that wasn't a good enough start for the new Division I team, the Detroit Tradesmen advanced into the National Sweet 16 Tournament. This championship tradition is still carried out today as every year the team proceeds to the playoffs.

Division III

After making the move from Division II to Division I, the Metro Detroit rugby team decided to expand the squad and add a developmental Division III squad. The squad was formed specifically for the development of new players and to ready them for competitive Division I play.

The Division III team is composed of old boys and younger players coming to us from all over the country. The Division III side also welcomes new players that don't have any experience. As the developmental side grew, the Detroit Tradesmen have recruited at-large players who are interested in a less competitive schedule, or who want to learn the game and move up the ranks.

High School

In an effort to promote rugby in Detroit, the Detroit Tradesmen have created various high school teams in and around the Metro Detroit area. These high school programs are run and staffed by current and former Detroit Tradesmen Rugby Club members. The current list of Detroit Tradesmen high school rugby programs include:

• Birmingham
• Novi/Northville
• Howell
• Livonia
• Dearborn
• Lakeview

Our Opponents

Division I
Chicago Griffins RFC
Cincinnati Wolfhounds RFC
Indianapolis Impalas RFC
Scioto Valley RFC
Chicago Lions RFC
Lincoln Park RFC
Metropolis RFC
Milwaukee Westside Harlequins RFC
Palmer RFC

Division III
Battle Creek Griffins RFC
Flint Rogues RFC
Fort Wayne RFC
Kalamazoo Dogs RFC
Michigan RFC
Traverse City Blues RFC
Tri-City Barbarians RFC

Game Results

Division I 2010 Season

Date	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Score	Match Report
September 4, 2010	Indianapolis Impalas RFC	28	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	25	Loss
September 11, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	28	Chicago Griffins RFC	0	Win
September 18, 2010	Scioto Valley RFC	33	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	12	Loss
September 25, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	18	Cincinnati RFC	16	Win
October 9, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	48	Indianapolis Impalas RFC	15	Win
October 16, 2010	Chicago Griffins RFC	43	Detroit Tradesmen	3	Loss
October 23, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	44	Scioto Valley RFC	34	Win
October 30, 2010	Cincinnati Wolfhounds RFC	44	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	24	Loss

Division III 2010 Season

Date	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Score	Match Report
August 28, 2010	Michigan RFC	15	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	17	Win
September 18, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	29	Fort Wayne RFC	8	Win
September 25, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	15	Tri-City Barbarians RFC	29	Loss
October 9, 2010	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	48	Traverse Bay Blues RFC	26	Win
October 16, 2010	Kalamazoo Dogs RFC	33	Detroit Tradesmen RFC	10	Loss
October 23, 2010	Flint Rouges RFC	32	Detroit Tradesmen	17	Loss

References

1. ^ https://membership.usarugby.org/PublicRosterRpt.aspx
2. ^ http://www.midwestrugby.org/10mensdivision1easternleague.htm
3. ^ http://www.midwestrugby.org/10md3easternconference.htm
4. ^ http://www.mirfu.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=listcats&cat_id=56&Itemid=28
5. ^ http://www.mirrs.org/teams.php?id=77

External links

• Official Site
• USA Rugby
• Midwest Rugby Union