Mens Rugby Team 1980-1981

Front Row: Francis Rizzitano, Joseph O’Connor, Kevin Manning, Kenneth Jasper, Craig Tucker, Timothy DeMello, Jeffrey Johnson, James Belli, Michael Clancy


Standing: Richard Dubois, Eric Brosler, Christopher Williams, Joseph Kerwin, John Carty, Stephen Libbey, David Mackay, Stephen Popper, Robert Wahlert, Stephen McDonnell, Joel Foster, John White, Gregory Fontana, Jerome Hanafin, Charles Harrington


Team Summary

Recruiting was the key to growth for BURC in this second full year of existence.  Having graduated a number of key players in the spring, the roster needed some adjustments.  Spots were filled by existing players and rookies who demonstrated the ability to step up to the level of play necessary. With an early count of 35 players, BURC ranks swelled to over 50 as word got out.  While that number moderated to around 40 after a few weeks, it was repeated again in the spring and necessitated a ‘C’ game to field all those who wanted to play.

Ever the competitor, Tim DeMello lined up a tough season that included matches against Ivy and Small Ivy clubs in New England.  Tim’s goal was to compete for the NERFU Championship in the spring and he knew we needed to beat the best to do so.  The season started strong with A and B-side shutout romps over St. Anselm’s that provided a good warm up for the following week.  Brown University ended up the victors in the hard-fought A-Side match by a score of 11-0, but the BURC’s B’s pulled out a 3-3 tie.  The following week, we traveled to Amherst College to face last year’s NERFU #2 team.  BURC’s A-Side stunned Amherst at its own field by a score of 20-18, while the B’s gave up a tough match by a score of  3-10.  In a rematch at St. Anselms the following week, BURC A’s faced a much improved squad but still emerged victorious on the A’s.  The B’s once again put up a tough fight but couldn’t hold back the tide.

For Homecoming weekend, Colby traveled to Babson and put up two tough matches.  However, BURC emerged victorious in both accounts to please the hometown crowd.  One week later, BURC traveled to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for two more shutout victories.  The A-Side match was highlighted by an injury to senior Chuck Fitzsimmons, and the strategic decision by DeMello to not substitute for him, thereby allowing Fitzsimmons to rejoin the match when he was able.  Babson played a man down for much of the first half but held tight under pressure.

In the final week of play for the fall, BURC played at Tufts on a cold wintry day, with snow and sleet pelting the field.  At one point in the match when the weather was harsh and teams were preparing for a scrum, a Tufts rugger exclaimed ‘this aint no party’, to which a BURC rugger replied ‘this aint no disco’, to which anyone in earshot replied ‘this aint no foolin’ around’, in a reprisal of the Talking Heads lyrics from Life During Wartime.  A good laugh was had by all.

And while Tufts carried the day in both matches, the social was a memorable one.  BURC’s combined record for the season was 9-5-1 and by most accounts, it was a huge success once again to be winning and competing well with the best teams in New England after just 15 months of existence.

The Spring of 1981 was a time of change as DeMello orchestrated the first orderly transition of Club Management.  While he and George Mandt remained captains on the field, the business of the club was handed over to new officers for the first time.  As for the schedule, we were still playing DeMello’s picks that he lined up in the fall, but BURC’s reputation had rapidly grown and we were getting calls from numerous teams to get on their schedule.

The first two sets of matches were played in March that year and BURC fielded A, B and C teams each time.  Against Providence College and St. Anselms, BURC quickly amassed a 5-1 club record.  Experienced players had great fun watching the C games as recruiting had drawn in some great players who were showing unbelieveable skills in these first few matches.

The following two weeks were tough to take as we lost both A and B-Side matches to a dominant Harvard club (NERFU #1 Rank) on Parents Weekend in front of a considerable home town crowd.  Throwing salt on the wound, we gave up a qualifying match against Coast Guard the following week, which dropped us into the NERFU 2nd division for the spring tournament.  The match against Coast Guard was especially disappointing due to BURC’s flat performance.  It was an easily winnable game but Coast Guard took the day.

The following two weeks saw shutout victories against WPI and consecutive wins against Colby.  That left us 9-4 going into the NERFU tournament, where we met Bridgewater State College in the first round.  In a scary-tight game, BURC won 9-8 and later that day, BURC beat Central Connecticut 12-4.  On Sunday we met Wesleyan and lost in the final match by a score of 7-4, finishing the season at 11-5.

DeMello put together a squad for the Harvard 7’s tournament a week later but results from that effort are not readily available.  All in all, it was a great season and an exciting first two years of BURC.

Team Roster

Graduation YearLast NameFirst NameFromPostions
1981BelliJames  Prop
1981BossStephen  Inside Centre
1981CaffynBrian  Wing
1981CartyJohn  Lock
1981ClancyMichael  Hooker
1981DeMelloTimothy  Fly Half Inside Centre
1981FitzsimmonsCharles  Inside Centre Outside Centre
1981FletcherMark  Wing
1981GibsonCraig  Full Back
1981HanafinJerome  Wing
1981JohnsonJeffrey  Hooker
1981MandtGeorge  Scrum Half Fly Half
1981ManningKevin  Lock Number-8
1981O’ConnorJoseph  Outside Centre Wing
1981PetreckiMark  Prop
1981PierceDwight  Lock
1981TuckerCraig  Full Back
1981WhiteJohn  Flanker
1982DuboisRichard  Wing
1982ForestPeter  Full Back
1982FosterJoel  Outside Centre
1982JasperKennethRockland, MA Wing Full Back
1982JohnsonKarl  Lock Flanker
1982McNaughtonThomas  Outside Centre
1982SheehyEdward  Wing
1982TuygilJohn  Outside Centre
1982WilliamsChristopher  Number-8
1983AndersonWilliam  Flanker
1983AshekianStephen  Wing
1983BradyRobert  Flanker
1983BroslerEric  Wing
1983DaltorioMark  Prop
1983FarmakisWilliam  Flanker
1983HagermoserScott  Lock
1983HarringtonCharles  Scrum Half Fly Half
1983KerwinJoseph  Scrum Half
1983LevyDavid  Wing
1983ListonJohn  Wing
1983MackayDavid  Prop Lock
1983MackeyRussell  Inside Centre
1983McDonnellStephen  Prop Lock
1983MurphyTim  Number-8
1983ReillyMark  Inside Centre Outside Centre Full Back
1983RizzitanoFrancis  Wing
1983RothJohn  Hooker Flanker
1983SabbagLewis  Prop
1983VazzaMichael  Wing
1983Veevers-CarterRory  Full Back
1984AllenRandolph  Flanker
1984BaslerFrank  Full Back
1984EcclestoneEdwin  Prop
1984FontanaGregory  Full Back
1984GalvinSean  Wing
1984HathawayNichols  Full Back
1984LawlerJohn  Wing
1984LibbeyStephen  Prop
1984LukaskaKenneth  Outside Centre
1984MandellJeffrey  Full Back
1984McGillJeffrey  Full Back
1984MoranBrian  Hooker
1984MucklowRussell  Scrum Half
1984MullerHunter  Prop
1984PerezAndres  Prop
1984PopperStephen  Hooker Scrum Half
1984PowersJohn  Wing
1984RussoPeter  Wing
1984SmithBryden  Wing
1984SmithJim  Wing
1984VivasCarlos  Outside Centre Wing
1984WahlertRobert  Wing

Team Leadership

CaptainsFallSpring
FordwardsTimothy DeMelloTimothy DeMello
BacksGeorge MandtGeorge Mandt
OfficersFallSpring
President Timothy DeMelloKenneth Jasper
Vice PresidentsCraig TuckerChristopher Williams
Match SecretaryTimothy DeMelloKenneth Jasper
TreasurerEdward SheehyEdward Sheehy
SecretaryKenneth JasperCharles Harrington
Public RelationsCharles HarringtonStephen McDonnell
EquipmentCraig GibsonDavid Mackay
Social / Choregus Sean Galvin
CoachesFallSpring
Coaches  
AdvisorsFallSpring
Advisors  

Schedule & Scores

DateH / AOpponentDivisionA ResultA ScoreB ResultB Score
Sep 14 1980HomeBeacon HillMen’s Club    
Sep 20 1980HomeSt. Anselms2Won31-0Won 
Sep 27 1980HomeBrown University1Lost0-11Tie3-3
Oct 4 1980AwayAmherst College2Won20-18Lost3-10
Oct 11 1980AwaySt. Anselms2Won13-3Lost0-6
Oct 18 1980Home*Colby (Homecoming)3Won13-3Won9-3
Oct 25 1980AwayBates2Won20-0Won9-0
Nov 1 1980AwayTufts1Lost14-17Lost4-17
        
Mar 21 1981AwayProvidence College Won8-0Lost4-0
Mar 28 1981HomeSt. Anselms Won13-4Won28-8
Mar 29 1981HomeWillies Grasshoppers (a) Lost7-6  
Apr 4 1981HomeHarvard (Parents Wknd)1Lost Lost26-4
Apr 11 1981HomeCoast Guard Academy (b) Lost3-0  
Apr 15 1981HomeW.P.I. Won20-0Won41-0
Apr 18 1981AwayColby College Won4-3Won20-6
Apr 25 1981AwayBridgewater State (b) Won9-8  
 AwayCentral Connecticut (b) Won12-4  
Apr 26 1981AwayWesleyan (b) Lost7-4  
May 3 1981AwayHarvard 7’s Tournament