Men's Spartan Rugby Club at San Jose State has a very rich history that any program would be excited to have. However playing rugby in the San Francisco Bay Area unfortunately has its down sides. With Saint Mary's and Cal , and Stanford for that matter, many people tend to not realize there are plenty more college rugby being played although not at the consistency winning as the programs mentioned before each has a rich tradition and each has at times added wood to the fire as to why the Bay Area is a hot bed for Rugby in this country. San Jose State over the past several years has unfortunately slowly fallen down the ladder and become inconsistent in league play. Not for lack of trying by each of the coaches and staff but the culture and communication has broken down.
Thankfully out of the ashes a rebirth is happening. With the rallying of alumni there's change happening to position the Spartan Men's amongst the best in the San Francisco Bay Area and out west. To be part of the conversation when speaking about St.Marys , Cal rugby . First step was hiring a homerun of a hire for a new head coach. Next was rebuilding communication & community among its alumni base and re-engage the players. I would like to thank the Chairman of the alumni association Lance for answering questions about the program and its future. A Rebirth of Sparta is happening, take note and beware.
LLR- Can you share a bit about your connection with the Spartan Rugby Club, when did you play and what position?
LC- I played from 1991-1995 for SJSU. I started playing my High school position of open side flanker #7 but when I got to college, I was undersized for that position. I was always a bit faster than I looked and had a good boot so I made the adjustment to flyhalf #10 and played at that position through my career at SJSU and beyond.
LLR- Most college rugby teams have some sort of alumni association, what makes this alumni association different from years past?
LC- SJSU never really had an organized Alumni Association. It was always seen as a social rugby club with a few bright spots of success on the pitch here and there. Mike Annab established the Alumni Association by vetting and selecting board members from various generations of SJSU Rugby that had a passion for the club, its history and the awareness of its impact on student athletes and the broader rugby community. We are just over a year into the establishment of the Alumni Association and we have made some positive moves to improve the club. We have hired a new coach, fundraiser for new kit, held a successful Spartan Rugby tailgate at the Homecoming game, began to develop sponsorships and partnerships with area companies to sponsor the club, rebranded our social media presence and committed to keep alumni updated with schedules, scores, events and highlights.
LLR- What is the relationship currently between the current players and those who have graduated and part of the alumni group now?
LC- This is an area of opportunity for us to connect these two groups. Formally, it occurs at the alumni match in spring each year but we are working on having more events throughout the year to foster tighter connections. We feel this is incredibly important for a number of reasons; to connect college players with men’s club teams like the San Jose Seahawks, connect current players with established professionals in their field of study who may be able to provide job opportunities and to share the love of the sport across generations. Rugby is a welcoming community and it’s important to crest the opportunities for those connections to occur.
LLR- As an association what's being done to help the growth of the team?
LC- We hired a new coach this season, Nick Schlobohm, who came via a close friend and former coach of mine at the Olde Gaels RFC, John Compaglia. When I told John we were looking for a coach to transform our team from a social club to a high performance competitive side, John simply said “I have your guy”. Nick was an Assistant Coach for the Olde Gaels at the time but had aspirations to lead his own club and the timing could not have been better. Nick is a two time Collegiate National Champion with St. Mary’s with a deep love of the sport and a high rugby IQ. We chatted a number of times, conferred with the Board and hired him. Coach Nick’s impact has already been felt with solid wins over Stanford and Cal Maritime this season. The team is looking good and the future looks bright.
We have also committed to providing more content for the alumni to raise the level of engagement and interest in their former team. So far, we have seen a nice uptick in our comments and feedback about the content and information we are providing online. It’s been very positive.
I arranged for a sports photographer to take team photos which is a hallmark of any organized team. This is a seemingly small act but means a great deal to the players, their family, and friends communicates history and tradition as this will be a standard from now on.
Through my company, I donated funds to purchase the Rugby jerseys for the season. The club was in transition, their finances were a mess which left them with no funds to replace their older incomplete set of jerseys. As an Architect and designer myself, I designed the jerseys for the team and presented them to them before their first match earlier this year. It was a humbling moment to be able to give back to the club that means so much to me.
The Board is working hard to connect the active players and coaches with ClubSports to secure funding moving forward. During the coaching transition, this was not addressed and left the club on the brink of collapse. It’s been great to work with Coach Nick on this and we are looking forward to more support from the school in the years to come.
LLR- What are some goals for this year and next season, and where would you like to see things with the alumni and club team in 5 years time?
LC- As an alumni association, We have some big goals but now we have a hill to climb to establish some of the basics including solid organization, reconnecting alumni with the current team, developing our Spartan Rugby Community, fundraising, putting on more events and supporting the coaching staff. If we do those things well, what happens on the pitch will take care of itself. Beyond that, we want to be a part of creating an experience for the players during their time at SJSU that they will never forget and hope they return as alumni and stay connected and to give back to the club in some way.
LLR- What's been the most rewarding part and difficult?
LC- The most rewarding part is seeing the team on the pitch doing what they love and enjoying themselves. Talking to the players after the match and getting to know them as people, hearing their stories and supporting them in whatever way we can. The most difficult thing has been locating, connecting and engaging with the alumni. SJSU Rugby has been around for over 50 years now but it has been surprisingly challenging to find those players and develop a platform of connectivity. Depending on their generation, we have found that they use a wide variety of communications, so we end up communicating across several platforms to reach as many alum as we can. It’s been a good pace of growth but there are many more out there that we still need to connect with. We are excited about that challenge.
LLR-To the players what message would you like to tell them and also to the alumni who may not be aware of the change at hand, what would you like to pass on to them ?
LC- To the players, we want you to know that the alumni board is committed to supporting the club to help you succeed on the pitch. For the first time in the club’s history, you have an organized group of committed alumni focussed on the team’s success short term and long term.
To the alumni, change is here. For the first time in club history, the team is led by two coaches who each have won Rugby National Champions twice! Coach Nick and Assistant Coach Hadin are transforming the team into a competitive team with their sites on a league title and more. So, engage with us on social media, keep up to date on the team and attend the events to reconnect with your team and meet up with friends new and old. You will love it.
LLR- Are there any special events coming up or key dates we should all keep an eye out for?
LC- Yes. March 18 is the last home match of the season. Kickoff is at 12:30pm vs Nevada. It should be a great one.
April 28 is the alumni Golf Tournament. Please contact me if you are interested in playing. You can email me at llcrannell@yahoo.com
April 29 is the alumni Match. All are welcome to watch. There will be a BBQ and an opportunity to meet the players and buy some team gear. Bring a friend.
We are active on Facebook and Instagram. Look up Spartan Rugby or SJSU Rugby Alumni and you will find us. You can always text 925-550-6800 for any updates, information or questions you may have.
We are also continually fundraising and we have found that Venmo is the quickest and easiest way to show your support. You can venmo any amount you can spare to
@Spartan_Rugby_Alumni
Your donations will go a long way toward helping the club.
#UnitythroughRugby #RuntotheFight