History Team Roster Membership Info Officers List

Youth Rugby Camp

The history of the game of rugby is vague to say the least. Legend has it that William Webb Ellis is credited for the invention. History states that at Rugby School in Rugby, England Ellis was the man who "with fine disregard for the rules of football (soccer) as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game".

The graduates of Rugby School started to ravel to different areas of the surrounding lands. As they traveled, they carried with them the learnings of the game in which a person could "use their hands to handle the ball". The first notable game of rugby is said to have been held in 1839 at Cambridge University between the Old Rugbeians and the Old Etonians. Those who chose to carry on the teachings of rugby had several different schools of thought on what the rules should be.

This produced a problem for matches between teams of different areas. Common rules were established in 1863 to alleviate this problem and 1871 marked the formation of the Rugby Football Union to govern such rules. The rules and laws of the game continued to change over the years spawning such games as Australian Rules Football and American Football.

Rugby has made a few showings in the Olympics; 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924. The USA won the gold medal in 1920 and 1924. They defeated France both times. The 1920 team remarked as the a great team because rugby had only been played in the states for decade prior to their Olympic involvement. The game was cancelled from an Olympic event after the 1924 games even though it sold more tickets than the track and fields event celebrated in the movie "Chariots of Fire".

Rugby now has what you may call its own Olympic event. It is called the World Cup. The Rugby World Cup is also played every four years and held in various countries. The name given to the trophy is named after the man who created it: The William Webb Ellis Trophy. Curious for more information on the origins of Rugby? Check out this webpage: http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com.

The Springfield Celts Rugby Club was established in 1975. Over the years the Celts have created a tradition of hard hitting rugby often taking the best of teams out of their game plan. This tradition has produced several tournament trophies and union victories. The legend of the "Green Jersey" has thrilled the Midwestern region for many years. The young players hear of the stories of destruction and victory and continue to wear the Green Jersey with pride.