Topeka Rugby, founded in the fall of 1972 by students from Washburn Universtiy School of Law.  TRFC is a member of the Heart of America Rugby Football Union. HOARFU is one of 37 Local Area Unions within USA Rugby, and one of seven within the Territorial Union the Western Rugby Football Union.

Team History

In the Fall of 1971 James Shetlar got out of the military and started graduate 
school at Pitt State.  At the same time Pitt State was just starting a Rugby 
Club there and he played in their first game.  He then started Law School in 
January of 1972.  Ron Capoccia who had played football at Pitt State and 
graduated moved to Topeka.  The two of them started going and playing for Pitt 
State on the weekends in the Spring of 1972.  Ron and James then decided to 
start a Rugby Club in Topeka in the Fall of 1972.  Ron knew Pat McCrite who had 
played football at Washburn University and Pat knew lots of old jocks in Topeka 
where Ron had also played High School Football.

So Pat, Ron and James started Topeka Rugby Club in August of 1972.  Topeka's 
first game was played on a field next to the Washburn University Football Field 
with Kansas City Rugby Club in August of 1972.  It was so hot that they played 
in quarters and after the game went to the Dutch Goose to hydrate.  The Dutch 
Goose for the first couple years of the Topeka Rugby Club was the main watering 
hole.  

At the same time, K State and Fort Riley's started their Rugby Club and we 
became Sister Clubs.  Steve Coffey, Mike Ryan and Jim Swift started the 
K-State-Fort Riley Club and had several memorable matches together as young 
clubs.

Some of Topeka's first games were St. Benedict's, K-State - Fort Riley, KU, UNO, 
Creighton, Wichita and Rockhurst.

After the first season a lot of the people who were the old jocks from Topeka 
lost interest and more of the law students started playing.
One of our first sponsors was the Coors Distributorship in Topeka who helped us 
pay for the team uniforms.  Topeka's original uniforms were maroon with a white 
collar.

James graduated from Law School in the Spring of 74 and moved to Kansas City and 
started playing Rugby in Kansas City.  The Rugby Team continued and at some 
point Coach Bill Mills became the coach of Topeka.  Bill kept the club going in 
Topeka for many years.

Some of our early players besides the three founding members were Mike McCrite, 
Dan Tutcher, Barney Byers, Blair Duffin, Kent Durso, Hal Denbecki, Steve 
Swalwell, Andy Busch, John Shorthall, Art Davis, Dick Loffswold, John Hart and 
Billy Rork.

One of our famous graduates from the Topeka Rugby Club was Togiola Tualafano who 
is presently the Governor of American Samoa.

Mailing Address:

Topeka Rugby Football Club
4911 SE 10th St
Tecumseh, KS 66542