The Portland Rugby Club, incorporated in 1969, is the oldest rugby club in the state of Maine. Since its inception, the Portland RFC has provided continuous leadership in the further development of the game in Maine. Many of its players have become involved in coaching and refereeing at both the club and college levels.
The Portland Rugby Club was originally located in Brunswick, Maine, about 25 miles north of Portland. Although all the organizational meetings took place in Portland, the Brunswick area was chosen for the match locale for two very important reasons: fields and players.
From Bowdoin Rugby Archives: In 1969, an undergrad named John Philipsborn was kicked off the lacrosse team and with the encouragement of the Bowdoin College President Roger Howell, cobbled together a small group of students and men from Portland, ME to learn about a sport that at the time was very foreign to most people at Bowdoin. This group informally existed for a couple years- the first match was against Brown (lost) – but they did beat Dartmouth during the first season. After a few seasons, the Portland players split off to form the Portland Rugby Club.
Bowdoin College in Brunswick allowed the club access to its athletic facilities including practice and game fields, locker rooms and training rooms, and the Brunswick Naval Air Station was the home to many military personnel with rugby experience. With these resources, the club was in an excellent position to grow and prosper.
Throughout the Bowdoin years (1969-1974) the club was able to keep the Interest high in Brunswick as well as draw players from the surrounding area, especially Portland. All went well until so many players from Portland began to question the need to travel to Brunswick, three and sometimes four times a week for training and games. It was soon decided that although Brunswick was originally home, Portland loomed more attractive to the needs of the ever expanding club.
Plans were made and in 1974 the city of Portland was indeed the new home of the Portland Rugby Club. Playing on any fields that were available and enjoying the postgame festivities in a number of different establishments throughout the city, the ruggers became accepted in their home town. Local interest grew and the number of players and fans soared. Many people observing the game for the first time were either instantly hooked on its wild, wide open style or intrigued by its gentlemanly, if somewhat barbaric flair.
The Portland RFC entered the New England Rugby Football Union’s first division in 1978, winning the league championship in 1979.
