Princeton Rugby

The Princeton University Rugby Football Club (or PURFC) competes in the Ivy League in Division I-AA of USA Rugby's intercollegiate competition.

History

Men's team

The men's team was first established in 1876 when Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House in Massachusetts and formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, which used the rugby code. This makes it one of the oldest rugby clubs in North America.

After an interruption (the rules laid out by the Intercollegiate Football Association began to deviate dramatically from Union rules after 1893), the club was reorganized in 1931 under the leadership of Monte Barak, Hugh Sloan H.F. Langenberg, and coach John Boardman Whitton. It has been playing continuously ever since. Over 5,000 people attended the inaugural Harvard - Princeton game in 1931.

The club competes in the Ivy League. The PURFC won the Ivy League Championship in 2004, 1979, 1973, 1971, and 1969. The team also qualified for the Division I-AA Sweet 16 in 2014. The men's coach and Director of Rugby at Princeton is Richard Lopacki.