Colorado State University's Division I Rugby Program was founded in 1970. Its tradition of competition and camaraderie keeps the team perennially ranked in the nation's top 25 while competing in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

 

The club is built around a team of dedicated student athletes who commit themselves to the goal of winning conference, regional and national championships through their own hard work and sacrifice. While fully enjoying the experience and having fun.

 

The team is seeking bright, talented young men motivated to work hard in the pursuit of academic and athletic excellence. If you are one of these men please fill out the recruit info submittal form on the recruit page below.

 

The Colorado State Rugby Program does not have cuts. No experience is necessary to join the team. The team regularly fields three sides so that new players get plenty of opportunity to learn the game. We encourage anyone who has a desire to play the sport to pursue that desire with us. Don’t think though that because we don’t have cuts we aren’t an exclusive organization, because Rugby is the cut and it is an elite group that has the toughness and resolve to make the team and commit to playing a competitive collegiate sport.

 

The rugby team provides unique personal development opportunities for Colorado State students.

 

The game itself provides a mental and physical challenge as players on the field have to work together to

 

> React to the tactics of the opponent

> Identify weaknesses in the opponent

> Formulate a plan, communicate the plan and then work together to execute the plan

 

This environment develops great leaders and good teammates, characteristics which will serve you well for a lifetime and are highly sought after by employers. Rugby also provides a physical challenge allowing you to test your mettle and develop mental and physical toughness. The coaching staff mentors the players through this unique development process.

 

The culture, sportsmanship and camaraderie sets rugby apart from other sports. Traditionally after a tough-fought match the home team hosts the visiting team for some food and drink, both teams leave the match on the field, sit down for a bite to eat and share a story or two from the match. This builds character and develops an ability to relate to people coming from a different point of view. Colorado State values these traits and keeps this tradition alive by hosting our opponents at our sponsor, Fort Collins' Stonehouse Grille in Old Town.

 

Five of seven Colorado State Rugby coaches are CSU alums. All coaches endeavor to teach a wealth of rugby knowledge and experience. Coaches appreciate and pass on the Ram Rugby tradition and feeling that “We are proud to be a CSU Ram.” Having seven coaches means increased opportunity for individual attention and different communication and teaching styles to reach every player. It also provides continuity of the program where if one coach is unavailable to continue coaching, the program will march on rather than going downhill.

 

The coaches encourage all star representative play, Blake Stevens and Billy Campbell assistant coach with both the Eastern Rockies and Western region select sides. The coaches also serve as selectors for the Eastern Rockies U-19 and U-17 select sides. We also work as selectors at the Rocky Mountain Challenge, the premier high school select side tournament, evaluating talent and recommending players for invitation to national team camps.

 

The team currently has a U-19 Eagle national team player and the team president represented the United State at the 2005 U-19 World Cup.

 

The team also has numerous Eastern Rockies all star players and Western region select side players with a couple in contention for All American selection.

 

If you want to take your game to the elite level, our program has the coaching, competitive schedule and connections to take you to the top of USA Rugby.

 

Coaching Staff

Blake     Stevens                 Head Coach                         alum 2001

Billy       Campbell              Forwards Coach                  alum 2004

Chip       Sullivan                 Forwards Coach                  former head coach Nashville Outlaws

Garrett   Overlee                 Backs Coach                       alum 2004

Michael Beatty                   Backs Coach                       alum 2002

Dafyd     Jones                    Backs Coach                       alum 2002

Todd       Gates                    Backs & Forwards Coach former CSU head coach 2003-2005

 

The university has nearly 25,000 students with approximately 5,000 freshmen every year. CSU boasts a student/faculty ratio of 17:1 with 67 percent of classes having 29 or fewer students. A diverse set of 150 degree programs are offered through a demanding curriculum. The university has a strong retention rate from freshmen to sophomore year of 81% and a graduation rate of 65% within six years due to the universities support staff and caring faculty.

 

The Princeton review recognized Colorado State University in the top 15% of the nation’s four year colleges.

 

Most students find competitive club sport participation improves their grades and academic success by involving them in a goal-oriented community and providing them a positive physical and social outlet.

 

With its 300 days of sunshine per year, Fort Collins, Colorado, home of Colorado State, features a vibrant outdoor community with easy access to hiking, mountain biking, climbing, boating and river rafting. Old Town Fort Collins has a great community of restaurants, shops, breweries and concert venues that bring a cosmopolitan feel to the city of 140,000 and provide things to do year-round.

The city was featured on the cover as Money Magazine’s  No. 1 place to live for small cities in August 2006. One of Outside Magazine's 10 perfect towns to live and A&E Television featured Fort Collins as one of America’s 10 most livable cities

 

World-class skiing and riding, can be found in the mountains on a day trip to Vail, Copper Mountain, Steamboat Springs, Winter Park, Breckenridge, Keystone and locals' favorite Arapahoe Basin. Two different season passes are offered to students, providing you access to multiple mountains for under $300 and the world famous fluffy Colorado powder.

 

To be eligible to play rugby at Colorado State it is first necessary to become enrolled as a student.

 

Applicants to Colorado State are encouraged to apply by February 1^st for fall admittance.

Transfer students are encouraged to apply by May 1^st for fall admittance.

Applicants will still be considered after these deadlines and should still apply but acceptance will be on a space-available basis.

 

International students and study abroad students. Colorado State has a diverse campus with many students from around the world. Colorado State is a great place to get a US education. Rugby will provide you an immediate peer group to interact with and I think you will be presently surprised by the standard of play. Colorado State has strong reciprocal exchanges and many of our players study abroad and play Rugby around the world. In addition the team regularly hosts exchange students and has a history of international students making positive impacts on our club.

 

The coaches at Colorado State will write a letter of recommendation on your behalf to help your application. This helps your application by showing you will be involved in a student organization at Colorado State which generally improves you chance of admission and success in school.