Nearly 300 Pointer “ruggers” and their families joined together recently to celebrate friendship, family, sportsmanship and lots of tackles as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Men’s Rugby Club marked 50 years of matches in September.
These years on the rugby pitch have changed many lives, started new careers and most of all, given both men and women a love for the game and the camaraderie it created.
“Coming to Point and joining rugby changed my life,” said Derek Wagner ‘13, Eau Claire, who took up rugby as a first-year communication student because the sport intrigued him. He’d grown up playing backyard football and being an athlete and was looking for a way to keep playing without being in a varsity sport at UWSP.
Now he serves as UW-Eau Claire Women’s Rugby Club coach, a volunteer position he’s held since 2013 when he graduated from Point and moved to Eau Claire. “I found a new hobby that has been a part of my life for 14 years. I really love coaching and being a part of the rugby community.” His women’s team has won three national titles, two as a 15-member team and one as a seven-member team.
“There’s something about the club at UWSP,” Wagner said “People take a lot of pride in it. It is a place for those who want to learn something new, have fun, stay active and be with a lot of great people. It’s everything.”
What sets rugby apart is the physicality of the game then the socialization after, when the teams get together to celebrate, Wagner said. “We made friends with the other teams, because it’s a very community-based sport. Once you learn it, you love it.”
Current Professor of Political Science John Blakeman was Wagner’s first coach. Blakeman coached the men’s club for many years and now coaches the Women’s Rugby Club, formed in 1993. “John was a big part of my rugby upbringing as well as a big part of my life,” Wagner said.
The Stevens Point Rugby Football Club had its first practice and intersquad game on Sunday, Sept. 12, 1976. Everyone was invited to attend then join the afterparty, according to an article in that week’s Pointer student newspaper. That first year the team went 7-2 against intercollegiate teams.
Fifty years later, during the reunion on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, both the men and women’s teams held matches with alumni vs. the current club teams, and afterwards, everyone enjoyed a banquet to reminisce.
UWSP student Cole Schneider, Hilbert, is a media studies major and the club’s current president and team captain. He said being a part of the 50th anniversary of the club was special to him.
“It is something I’ll always remember,” said Schneider, who added being able to meet the team’s founder, Todd Tifft ‘76, was a big deal. Although the current team lost to the alumni, he said, “We held our own against some big guys, still in their prime, so I was proud of our team.”
Schneider had never touched a rugby ball before joining the team his first year, but his mom founded the women’s club at Northern Michigan University. A high school friend attending UWSP recruited him to join, and he learned as he played. “The team wants to help you learn, and are very supportive,” he said.
David Plaisance ‘85, Stevens Point, also joined the Rugby Club his first year, as the team needed 15 players and he became the 14th. Friends had him watch a game then pulled him into practice.
“I got hooked,” he said. Plaisance, who studied geography, played with the team for four years, then helped coach the club until he graduated. As an alum, he helped support the Women’s Rugby Club when it formed in 1993, providing instruction and acting as a referee.
For Plaisance, his years on the team bring memories of winning against UW-Madison and earning the top eighth spot in the nation in 1981. More than that, he recalls the friendships he created which would last years into the future.
“My teammates became my second family,” he said. “We kept in touch, from yearly Brewers games then Door County trips.” Plaisance also helped plan the 20- and 30-year reunions and helped with the 40th.
He enjoyed seeing so many people at the 50th reunion, where he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the men’s and women’s clubs. He also presented the award to the oldest player at the reunion – Dave Carter, Portland, Ore., who, at age 73, played for five minutes.
“The team has lasted 50 years because of its good officers and the people involved,” Plaisance said. “While the game has changed, the organization keeps going.”
Today, the team is part of the Great Midwest Rugby Conference, playing club teams from several Midwestern states and some within the Universities of Wisconsin. The club’s first game is Saturday, Sept. 26, and Schneider is excited to get started.
“We are looking good this year, with lots of returning players,” he said. “I think we can win the conference.” The team plays 15-player games in the fall and seven-player games in the spring. New members are welcome, Schneider said, and no experience is necessary.
“The sense of friendship and brotherhood we all share is special,” Schneider said. “We are all friends, even with the teams we play, and we all respect each other. There is no leaving the sport – even if you no longer play, you are there, offering support.”
“I have great memories of my time with the team,” said Wagner. “Playing rugby was the most memorable part of my time at UWSP – serving as president my senior year, traveling to games at other schools and playing at home. Those were the best days and the best people around.”
