2009 Ivy Tournament Day One

No team has won more 'recorded' Ivy Championships than Dartmouth. Dartmouth won big today. Recorded, is the key word here. We know that rugby has been alive and well in the Ivy League since the 1870's. We know the first recorded 1873 'football game' between Harvard and Yale was, in fact, a rugby game. Come on!

There's also evidence of official and/or un-official Ivy Champion claims all the back into the 1800's. 'The Ivy Championship' was often held in Bermuda in the 1950s. In the 40's, the Eastern Rugby League was dominated by Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Cornell Rugby lists 1938 as it's founding year ... sure it's been going strong since then, but the first copy of The Cornell Daily Sun printed in 1880 - Yes, 1880! - mentions rugby practice on campus. It's the same on every campus in the Ivies. Thanks to Jay Fluck, Brown's coach ... well ... at least as long as I remember remembering what rugby was and is, the Ivy Championships began somewhat recorded history.

Coach Fluck ran the official 'recorded' Ivy Championships for the first time in 1969. On the Past Champions page (www.ivyrugby.com/past-champions.php) you'll see that we're all pretty sure Princeton defeated Brown 6-3. We know it was in Providence, Rhode Island home of Brown University and one Jay Fluck. Tonight, as I write, the coaches of the eight Ivy League schools are putting the final touches on the formation of a new Ivy League. It pains me not to be in attendance on this historic night, but that one Jay Fluck is there representing Brown University. Alex Magleby is there representing Dartmouth College. Sean Horan is there representing Columbia University. Jan Pikul is there representing Yale. Richard McGovern is there representing the University of Pennsylvania. Rich Lopacki is there representing Princeton University. David Gonzales is there representing Harvard. Dexter Kozen is there representing THE Cornell University!

Tonight the Ivy League of Rugby begins in earnest. This fall the Ivy League will begin a full schedule of games to determine an Ivy League Champion. Will we have two different Ivy League Champions in 2009? It's doubtful. Dartmouth seems too strong. The 2009 Ivy Rugby Championship finals are slated for a full Sunday schedule of matches at the Columbia University Soccer Stadium tomorrow, Sunday April 26, 2009. The stadium seats 3,500 people. Judging from Saturday's scores, Dartmouth is the hands-down favorite. I, for one, though not yet recorded, am pretty sure that Cornell must have won at least one championship in all those past years. They had to have ... right?

First Round Matches Harvard 31 Columbia 22 Dartmouth 112 Cornell 0 Princeton 25 Penn 20 Yale 18 Brown 8

Second Round Matches Columbia 17 Brown 13 Dartmouth 101 Princeton 0 Harvard 31 Yale 17 Penn 39 Cornell 0

Third Round Matches 10:00am - 7th Place Match - Cornell vs Brown 11:15am - 5th Place Match - Penn vs Columbia 12:30pm - 3rd Place Match - Yale vs Princeton

The 2009 Ivy Tournament Championship Match 1:45pm - Championship Match - Harvard vs Dartmouth