Clemson Rugby celebrates its 50th anniversary on campus

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More than 200 Clemson Rugby alumni, with families in tow, converge on Clemson’s campus April 7-9 for an anniversary celebration. But the occasion does more than mark 50 years that the program has been on campus; it provides current and former players with the opportunity to renew old bonds and, perhaps, form new ones.
It is those bonds that have kept Clemson Rugby afloat for five decades, and it is those bonds that will continue to keep it thriving far into the future.
“I think one of the reasons why the club has lasted so long is that it builds very strong bonds on the field and off the field,” said James Baxter, who co-founded the Clemson Rugby Foundation in 2007 after the team had spent decades on campus largely as a hybrid sports program and social club. “It’s these incredible bonds that have kept alumni of the team in touch after graduation and that have led to strong alumni engagement with the club.”
The Clemson Rugby Team in 2016, traveling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Image Credit: Provided
It seems rugby has a way of slipping into the bloodstream. It’s hard to pin down precisely what it is that makes the sport so addictive to some, but the camaraderie involved might just have something to do with it.
“I can’t really put my finger on it. Once you get the bug, it kind of stays with you,” said Scott Bridges, who played for the team from 1985 through 1987.
“Going into a rugby match, it’s a little bit of a battle,” Bridges said. “You practice hard against one another all week, and then you have that other team you play against on the weekend. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into it. So you become close.”
Andras Bende, who played for Clemson rugby from 1994 through 1998, has experienced ...

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