More Than a Team: Dartmouth Men’s Rugby Alumni Build a Lasting Legacy
Alumni rally behind an ambitious endowment campaign to support the program’s excellence and community for generations
Ask anyone connected to the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club (DRFC) what makes the program special, and the answer rarely begins with winning matches—though there are many victories to celebrate. Instead, alumni describe a bond like no other, built around a culture of community, camaraderie, and shared purpose. Men’s rugby arrived at Dartmouth nearly 75 years ago and quickly became one of the most respected collegiate programs in the United States.
That special bond is what made the club’s recent effort to build a dedicated endowment a rousing success. It was an ambitious campaign that united generations of players and secured the future of this storied program.
A Culture Unlike Any Other
For alumni board members Alec Casey ’88, Phil McCune ’87, and Rich Schneider ’88, the paths to Dartmouth rugby may have been different, but the impact was universal.
Rich, who came to Dartmouth as a varsity swimmer before switching sports, found in rugby a community that shaped his college years and his life beyond graduation. It is the lasting friendships, the travel companions, and the shared history that bind rugby alumni across eras.
“I swam for two years before switching to rugby, which couldn’t be more different. That’s one of the great things about the rugby club. It welcomes athletes from all kinds of sports backgrounds. Dartmouth had so many former athletes looking for a new challenge, and rugby offers both the competitive and social experience they’re after,” Rich said.
“For me, the program’s winning legacy was a huge draw. I spent two years playing second row, learning from upperclassmen like Phil and continuing the strong national success of Dartmouth teams during the 1986-1988 period.
Like Rich, many players encounter rugby as a new sport; that learning curve for a new activity is a major reason that students end up so connected to the program. “Students discover the sport together,” Alec said. “They learn, grow, and build relationships in a way that makes the experience meaningful for everyone.”
That sense of belonging persists for the entire Dartmouth rugby community, which now includes more than 1,300 active supporters—an extraordinary number for any collegiate alumni organization.
Building Resilience for the Years Ahead
Although the social aspect is meaningful, the program maintains a competitive standard that places Dartmouth among the top collegiate rugby teams in the country. That excellence depends on strong coaching, high-level competition, and reliable operational funding.
In 2020, the strength of the alumni network became essential. When the pandemic halted competition, the club faced a sudden challenge. Expenses continued even as fundraising uncertainty grew.
COVID underscored the need for long-term financial stability. The solution was an endowment strong enough to sustain world-class coaching, travel, recruiting, and student support regardless of economic conditions.
Working with Advancement, the board identified a target number—but knowing the passion of their alumni base, the club ambitiously raised that goal by 25 percent. The result was a $2 million endowment campaign designed to secure the program’s operational future.
A Campaign Built on Connection
Because the endowment funds ongoing operations rather than a visible project like a new building, the case needed to be especially persuasive. Alumni understood precisely what they were preserving. They also recognized that an earlier endowment from longtime supporter Corey Ford and other alumni had helped establish a foundation the program could now build upon.
Commitments began arriving almost immediately. Alumni stepped forward with a mix of larger gifts and deeply meaningful smaller contributions. Parents of graduating seniors, reunion classes, young alumni, and long-retired players all joined in the effort. It was important to the club that this annual fundraising also remained strong. Fortunately, the endowment campaign gifts added to, rather than replaced, crucial existing philanthropy.
One parent described the community’s sentiment:
“DRFC gave our son the chance to grow, challenge himself, and achieve excellence through teamwork. It shaped the person he is today, and we had a lot of fun as a family along the way. Our hope is that this endowment strengthens not only the program’s competitive success, but also the values-based personal and leadership development that makes rugby so special. Belonging to DRFC is a lifelong gift for him and for us.”
Securing a Legacy of Excellence
Today, DRFC’s annual budget supports three professional coaches, national travel, equipment, and the needs of a roster that often exceeds 70 student-athletes. The new endowment helps secure this level of excellence for decades ahead.
However, the club is not yet fully endowed. DRFC continues to rely on approximately $380,000 in annual alumni giving to meet its operational needs each year. The long-term vision is full endowment—an effort that will require millions more—but this campaign represents a significant and essential step toward that goal.
Head Coach Kyle Sumsion expressed deep appreciation for the alumni effort:
“This endowment is transformational for Dartmouth Rugby. It gives our students stability, opportunity, and the ability to compete at the highest level year after year. But more than that, it reflects the love our alumni have for this program and the belief that rugby changes lives. We feel that every day on the pitch.”
More Than a Team
Perhaps the most striking part of the Dartmouth rugby story is how deeply its alumni remain connected, both to the program and to one another. Rugby shaped their time on campus and continues to influence their lives long after graduation.
Alec shared that for many students navigating the D-Plan, rugby provides a home base. It is where they reconnect after terms away and where they find community that extends across campus life.
And Phil summarized it simply. “Rugby is a Dartmouth family: a place where barriers fall away, where students from different backgrounds find common purpose, and where alumni remain bonded for life.”
With a strengthened financial foundation and its milestone 75th anniversary approaching, the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club enters its next chapter with momentum worthy of its storied legacy and with hundreds of alumni standing proudly behind it.