The Flint Rogues Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Flint, Michigan and member of USA Rugby,[1] Division III Midwest Rugby Eastern Conference, Northern League[2] and Division III of the Michigan Rugby Football Union.[3][4]
 | |
| Union | USA Rugby, Michigan Rugby Union, Division III |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| Ground(s) | Longway Park, Flint, MI |
| President |  Rob Moquin |
| Coach(es) | Michael Mize, Jaylin Steedman, Nick Kiessel |
| Captain(s) | Connor Kovacs |
| League(s) | Midwest Rugby Division III, Eastern Conference, Northern League |
| Official website | |
| www | |
History
editIn March 1972, Larry Marfechuk and Jim Keener became the founding members of the Flint Rogues Rugby Football Club when they gathered a group of male athletes and taught them the game of rugby football. Back in 1972, the game was not as widespread in the State of Michigan as it is now and the Rogues were one of the first senior men's rugby teams in the state. The original uniform was red/white/blue in color but was replaced with the current colors of red/white/black.
In 1976, the Flint Rogues were a top contender in the State of Michigan. The club traveled to many tournaments out of state as far as Missouri and Louisiana. In 1980, the club brought home the B Division Championship for the Michigan Rugby Union in 1980 and also a Consolation Trophy for the B Division at the Great Lakes Rugby Tournament in Detroit. In 1984, the Flint Rogues won the Michigan Cup, First Division state title. In 1990, the Rogues won the Division II Michigan Cup, winning it again in 1992. In 1993, the Rogues won the Battle Creek 7's tournament and qualified for the Midwest 7's for the only time in club history.[citation needed]
The club experienced a good run from the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, being promoted to Division II of the Michigan Rugby Union. The club won the Division II Michigan Cup consecutively in 2002 and 2003. After a winless season in 2008, the Rogues rebounded, posting a 5-1 record in the 2009 spring season. The Rogues had a perfect fall 2010 season, going 7-0, winning Midwest Rugby's Northern League championship and earning a playoff berth for the first time in several seasons.
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Battle of the Rogues: Flint Rogues RFC at halftime against Windsor Rogues RFC -
The Rogues gathering for a scrum against the Tri-City Barbarians RFC -
The Rogues securing a lineout against Detroit RFC -
The Rogues after the annual game against Detroit RFC at the Saline Celtic Festival -
Paul "Cujo" Canjar laying the smackdown on a Michigan RFC player -
The Rogues in a scrum with Fort Wayne RFC -
The Rogues after the 10 October 2009 game against Fort Wayne RFC -
The Rogues team after the last game of the year against Traverse City
Sponsorship
edit
After over a decade with Budweiser as their primary sponsor, the Rogues named Shea Automotive their primary sponsor prior to the Fall 2023 season; The Rogues also have several secondary sponsorships from many local businesses as well.[citation needed]
Club Honors
edit- 1980 - Michigan Rugby Union B Division Championship
- 1980 - Consolation Trophy, B Division, Detroit Great Lakes Tournament
- 1984 - Division I Michigan Cup
- 1990, 1992, 2002, 2003 - Division II Michigan Cup
- 1993 - Battle Creek 7s Tournament Champions
- 1993 - Qualified for USA Rugby Midwest 7s Tournament
- 1997, 2000 - Kalamazoo Snowball Tournament Champions
- Rogues Cup (played for annually against the Windsor Rogues RFC) Winners - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Victory Cup (played for annually against the Tri-City Barbarians RFC) Winners - 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
- 2010 - Midwest Rugby Union Northern League Champions
- 2022 — Midwest D-4 Runner-Up
- 2023 — Undefeated 5-0 Regular Season
Our Opponents
editBattle Creek Griffins RFC
Detroit RFC
Detroit Tradesmen RFC
Findlay SCARS RFC
Fort Wayne RFC
Grand Rapids Gazelles RFC
Kalamazoo Dogs RFC
Michiana Moose RFC
Michigan RFC
Oakland Highlanders RFC
Toledo Celtics RFC
Traverse City Blues RFC
Tri-City Barbarians RFC
Windsor Rogues RFC
Game Results
edit2010 Season
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Match Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10, 2010 | Tri-City Barbarians | 10 | Flint Rogues RFC | 5 | Midland, MI | Loss |
| April 17, 2010 | Windsor Rogues RFC | 5 | Flint Rogues RFC | 40 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Win |
| April 24, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 24 | Sarnia Saints RFC | 28 | Flint, MI | Loss |
| May 1, 2010 | Detroit RFC | 22 | Flint Rogues RFC | 27 | Detroit, MI | Win |
| May 8, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 31 | Toledo Celtics RFC | 20 | Flint, MI | Win |
| May 15, 2010 | Kalamazoo Dogs RFC | 39 | Flint Rogues RFC | 29 | Kalamazoo, MI | Loss |
| May 22, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 56 | Battle Creek Griffons RFC | 19 | Flint, MI | Win |
| August 26, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 28 | Detroit RFC | 32 | Flint, MI | Loss |
| September 11, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 24 | Kalamazoo Dogs RFC | 5 | Flint, MI | Win |
| September 18, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 27 | Battle Creek Griffins RFC | 7 | Flint, MI | Win |
| September 25, 2010 | Traverse Bay Blues RFC | 14 | Flint Rogues RFC | 71 | Traverse City, MI | Win |
| October 2, 2010 | Flint Rogues RFC | 15 | Fort Wayne RFC | 8 | Flint, MI | Win |
| October 9, 2010 | Tri-City Barbarians RFC | 5 | Flint Rogues RFC | 59 | Midland, MI | Win |
| October 16, 2010 | Michigan RFC | 13 | Flint Rogues RFC | 49 | Ann Arbor, MI | Win |
| October 23, 2010 | Detroit Tradesmen RFC | 17 | Flint Rogues RFC | 32 | Warren, MI | Win |
| November 6, 2010 | Cincinnati Kelts RFC | 49 | Flint Rogues RFC | 28 | Cincinnati, OH | Loss |
References
edit- ^ https://membership.usarugby.org/PublicRosterRpt.aspx
- ^ "Men's DIII Eastern Conference - 08". www.midwestrugby.org. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12.
- ^ "Michigan Rugby Football Union - Senior Men". Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ "MiRRS Teams". Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-05-11.