Club History
The following text was taken verbatim from the Flint Rogues 1981 Fall Program...
Once upon a time, long, ago, a few self- proclaimed superior athletes decided to import a foreign athletic contest called "RUGBY" to the city of Flint. As a matter of fact, it took approximately 149 years from the game's inception for it to reach the City limits.
Many of the members of the Flint Rogues Rugby Club feel that it was not soon enough, while others feel it was entirely too soon.
The year was 1972, and the month was March. Winter was just a memory, and spring had sprung. The two founding athletes, whose names few can remember but are etched in the Flint Rogues' archives are LARRY MARFECHUK and JIM KEENER. They gathered what they thought were well-conditioned and intelligent males and taught them the game of Rugby.
The game of Rugby, back in 1972, was not wide spread in the State of Michigan with just a handful of clubs. The Rogues were a small team with a lot of pride.
The wins were fewer than the losses at first, but within a few short years we became a contending team. The original uniform was Red/White/Blue in color but was replaced with the current colors of Red/White/Black. The Club's objective at that time as is now, was to promote the total game and concept of Rugby in the Flint area.
A clean, tough, contact sport that is amateur in nature, Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Rugby provides an opportunity for all who wish to participate to do so, and like most sports, it was founded on the principles of being challenging, aggressive and competitive; but most of all - fun. It also provides the opportunity to meet new people, when, after the whistle blows and the game is finished, both teams, winner and loser, shake hands, forget the competitiveness and enjoy a party together. Not only was the Flint Rogues Club built on the principles of a sport; it was built for the Flint community. The club played games to raise money for charities, and raised $300.00 in the 1972.
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. Several trophies were won and success became a common thing. Soon after, new jobs and scholastic endeavors took precedent over Rugby for many of the early Rogues. It was at that time that the Club fell upon hard times. Membership dropped off and the interest began to wane. It was the persistence of a dozen or so members that kept the Club in existence during that time. These people believe in the concept of Rugby and decided to regroup.
In 1979, the Club took on a new look. Reorganization took place with the initial push on recruitment. In 1980, the Club began to win and became competitive. The Rogues brought home the B Division Championship for the Michigan Rugby Union in 1980 and also brought home a Consolation Trophy for the B Division in the Detroit Great Lakes Tournament. We are now enjoying the luxury of a membership of approximately 25 people and hope to increase this number each season.
Since 1981.... OK, we have nothing anywhere near as well documented since the above words were etched into a piece of papyrus in 1981. We have assembled a crack team of researchers to dig through our archives and gather some details about the last 20 years of the Flint Rogues. Unfortunately, we're battling the effects of Alzheimer's and years of alcohol abuse.
Here's a start... In 1984, these 15 gentlemen won the state championship and in 1991 Frank McCarthy had much less hair than he does now...
We'll keep you posted on what we learn...
