Newly Improved Rugby Fields Dedicated to Beloved Coach and Stalwart Alum Volunteer

A large crowd of alums, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of the rugby program gathered at Vassar’s newly refurbished rugby fields on September 21 to celebrate the donors who funded the renovation project and witness the dedication of the fields at the Preserve at Vassar. The fields now carry the names of longtime Coach Tony Brown and Vassar alum Charlie “Bear” Williams ’80, a supporter of the program for more than 40 years.

Speakers at the event included Brown and Williams; President Elizabeth Bradley; Michelle Walsh, Director of Athletics and Physical Education; members of the Office of Advancement; and donors Philip and Ann White, parents of rugby alum Danny White ’25—a third-generation Vassar grad whose grandmother, Frances Hamilton White, graduated in 1956.

The Whites’ gift funded a total resurfacing and resodding of both fields; installation of irrigation systems; new goalposts; addition of electrical lines to allow for the installation of a new scoreboard; and installation of water lines to facilitate hydration stations for the student-athletes.

Philip White said he first became acquainted with Coach Brown when Danny was injured during the semifinals of the national Final Four in their sophomore year. “Despite all the demands of preparing for the finals the next day, Tony took the time to call us after the game and talk to us about Danny’s injury,” White said. “We were really impressed that he would spare some time to help put our minds at ease and talk to us not only about the injury but tell us how much Danny had added to the team that year. And more importantly, he told us how much more confident and buoyant Danny had become over the course of the season.”

The Whites first met Williams on the sidelines at a game and learned a lot about the history of Vassar’s rugby program.“He talked to us about the success of the program under Tony’s tutelage and how ex-students far and wide are still deeply connected to the program,” Philip White said. “Bear is just a wonderful person, and his volunteerism and his infectious spirit really impressed us.”

Later, the Whites approached Brown and asked how they could assist the program, and a plan for renovating the fields was hatched.

Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Ann White said rugby had been a “cornerstone of Danny’s Vassar experience.” She called Brown “the coach I wish I’d had when I was a kid” and described Williams as a volunteer “who won’t let the flame of rugby go out. He’s on the sidelines on weekends and, during the week, he’s mentoring the players for their post-Vassar lives.”

Brown thanked the Whites for their generous gift. “Through your generosity, you have validated this experience, and improved it, and it is a gift that will keep on giving,” he said. “Past, present, and future generations of Vassar rugby players will derive real joy from your gift, be it through pride in such a beautiful venue, the successes of the teams, or a safer student-athlete experience.”

President Bradley presented the Whites with a ball signed by the players. She noted that the women’s team had won the national championship four times and was Vassar’s most successful athletics program. But she added that sports at Vassar are about more than winning championships. “Athletes have to learn how to hustle when they are truly exhausted and to lose gracefully and win gracefully,” she said.

The day concluded with dominant performances by both teams. The men’s squad scored 17 tries and kicked seven conversions to rout Montclair State, 99–10, while the women overwhelmed Fordham, 119–5. —Larry Hertz