Portal:1968 Men/Intro

In the spring of 1968, my 1st class year, USAFA selected an Intramural All Star team to compete as an unofficial team. We played Cranwell and got our butts kicked by a team who was quite polished. I went on to play for 2 years at Cornell University along with Chuck Holmes who was my roommate at grad school. Dave Strobel '68

In 67 and 68 we played something like 5-6 games each of those years. At any rate, this was like the intramural all star team that got five or so outside games a year. The team advisor (I think he was a Major) moved me from Wing to scrum half, and what a crummy position it was, hammered every play, so I think he placated me by making me Captain in 68, my senior year.

I am struggling to remember who our leading scorer was on the 68 team, but, I think it was someone from the class of 69. . Now I may get the two years messed up, it was a long time ago, but, we played Royal Roads home and away, so once at the Academy and once in Canada. We played two Rocky Mountain league teams each year, though I don’t really remember how well we did against them. One of the 67 or 68 years we played Cranwell at the Academy, but, our advisor was unsuccessful in getting us funds to play them in England. Cranwell indeed kick our butts, but, we knocked two or three of their player out of the game (in those days no substitutes) because we tackled in a somewhat aggressive fashion. Our game was rough, and not well refined. The partying afterward was fun, though we had to be restrained on the Academy grounds. We did beat Royal Roads in Canada, and gave Notre Dame a good game. We played Notre dame at Notre Dame one of those years, but they never came to the Academy. Tom Taverney (Tav)

A quote from the Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union's history book, overheard at the Mine's Sevens tournament, spring 1968 "Please pass the ball Captain Osur, sir"