David Bowman

Name: David Bowman

Years Played at UC Davis: 2000-2004

What position(s) did you play?: Scrum half, wing, fullback, club president (2004)

What's your best memory with the club?: Most of my best memories from college are from my days with the rugby team. I still remember seeing the big men (Sam Lucina, Walker Sullivan, Marc Kollerer, etc.) at the gym my first quarter and thinking 'I want to be one of those guys.' I came up about 150 pounds short but they always kept me pushing to be a better player (and beer drinker). They took me under their wings all the way through my freshman year and gave me an appreciation for the spirit of the game and the camaraderie it fosters. My entire senior year was one great experience after another. Even our only regular season loss (at Cal) was still one of my favorite games ever. I was convinced we could be the best team in the country by the end of that game.

What did you do after graduation?: After graduation our coach, Steve Grey, set me up with OMBAC in San Diego. That summer a group of random guys from around the country came together in San Diego and went on to play in the Sweet 16. I took a few years off and then moved to Israel for a graduate degree. While there I played for Tel Aviv University, winning the national championships multiple times. My final year in Israel I played for the National Team in the Europe, one of the great honors in my life.

What are you doing now?: I'm currently an ER physician in Los Angeles. I haven't played rugby for years but look back on my days at Davis with great memories.

Where do you hope to see the club in the future?: I would love to see the team end up back in the D1 Sweet 16 with the alumni cheering them on.

What did you do after graduation?: After graduation our coach, Steve Grey, set me up with OMBAC in San Diego. That summer a group of random guys from around the country came together in San Diego and went on to play in the Sweet 16. I took a few years off and then moved to Israel for a graduate degree. While there I played for Tel Aviv University, winning the national championships multiple times. My final year in Israel I played for the National Team in the Europe, one of the great honors in my life.

What are you doing now?: I'm currently an ER physician in Los Angeles. I haven't played rugby for years but look back on my days at Davis with great memories.

Where do you hope to see the club in the future?: I would love to see the team end up back in the D1 Sweet 16 with the alumni cheering them on.

Tyler Harrison

When did you play for UC Davis? I played for Davis from 2006-2011.

What position(s) did you play? I played fullback and scrumhalf.

Did you receive any awards while you played for UC Davis? For Davis, I received Rookie of the year and MVP. On a national level I was fortunate enough to be named as a 3-time Collegiate All-American

What is you best memory from playing at UC Davis? Playing in the Pac Coast final against Saint Mary’s. It was a tough match and I had the chance to kick a 40m penalty with time almost out to go into double over time.

Did you play after college? After graduation, I trained at the Taranaki provincial academy
in New Zealand and in 2012 USA rugby signed me to the 7s developmental team. Both of those opportunities were incredible.

What are you doing now? Currently, I am studying at Life Chiropractic College West to receive my Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Where do you see the club in the future? I hope to see the club as one of the leaders in collegiate rugby. We can do this by establishing active alumni support and offering tuition assistance for high level players.

Ben Pettigrew

When did you play for Davis? I played from 1998-2003

What position(s) did you play? I played second row 98-99, I took a year off in 1999 and in 2000 I came back and played inside center and fly half.

What is your best memory with the club? Traveling to Canada my freshman year to play Univ of British Columbia, U. Victoria, & Simon Fraser. We flew into Seattle with the plan to drive across the border the next day. So we got to hang around Seattle for the day. Luckily I looked old for 19 and I tagged along with five older players to tour Pyramid Brewery. Funny enough we ran into the Berkeley rugby team while walking around town, Sam Licina and some forwards went to Pikes Place market and ended up scrumming down with 5 of the employees of Pikes and Sam even got to catch a famous flying fish. The next day we drove across the border into Canada. UBC and UVic were good rugby teams and the games were not close as I remember.  Simon Fraser was a better game for us. We played Simon Fraser on a frozen dirt field covered in goose crap and I do recall one break in play for a penalty, I was catching my breath on defense with my mouthpiece half way out of my mouth and a seagull shit right into my mouthpiece. The other team quick tapped it and ran right at me so I shook off as much seagull crap I could with one shake and put it in my mouth. We stayed with the Canadian players and they took us out to house parties and the bars. While playing UBC I slept on a sofa in a fraternity house and was woken up in the middle of the night by Justin Fornelli jumping on me pretending to be a raptor and we got to watch several Canadians throw one of their own into a stagnant, disgusting pond in the back yard of the house.

How did you get started with the Club? I came across rugby my first year at Davis when I was a red-shirt freshman on the football team. One evening during fall quarter, after lifting with the practice squad, a group of 5 older rugby players approached us outside the weight room to recruit us. The pitch went something like this: “What’s up guys? We are having a rugby camp this weekend do you want to come out and play? We will have a training session in the morning to learn how to run / pass the ball and tackle. Then we will play a game in the afternoon and after the game we will have party. Do you guys want to come?” There were 10 of us in the group outside the weight room. 5 of us went out to the camp that weekend and four of us immediately quit the football team (Marc Kollerer, Bobby Haggerty, myself , & Rich Blanton). We joined Rob Salabar and the rest of the crew on Hutchinson Field for UCD Rugby and that was when rugby entered my life.

What did you do after school? Rugby has had a big impact on my life. I love rugby: I love the competition, the comradery, the community, the blood, sweat & tears, the sacrifice, the accomplishment, the pain & the joy. Nothing great comes easy and you know what ain’t easy? Rugby. Right out of college I started out in 100% commission jobs and I wasn’t scared. Now I own a wealth management firm in the Bay Area, and it is a difficult environment to succeed in. Rugby taught me mental toughness, determination and of course social skills. What do you like most about Rugby: To me rugby is the ultimate team sport. The more you and your teammates run around the field like a pack of wild dogs the better the team will play. When I graduated UC Davis I felt like I was just beginning to understand the game. It is a complex sport and completely different than most games American kids grow up playing. Luckily rugby is very accessible in the bay area, I played for S.F. Golden Gate for 7 more years at fly half mainly on the B and C sides.

Where do you see the club in the future? I have followed UCD Rugby over the years and I’m really happy to see the work recent alumni have put in to reconnect with older alumni like myself. I see the progress that rugby is making as a mainstream sport in America and it’s pretty exciting. I am interested in helping the club and I want to see UCD Rugby compete and succeed alongside the best clubs in America.

Ian Sherman

When did you play for Davis? 86-89. This was a tough time for the club as we were rotating coaches quite a bit, but we had a great leadership group in the Pack and they really kept the program going. We were always on the verge of being pretty damn good and should have made the national playoffs in ’89, but we came up short against Cal (13-16) and had some tough breaks down the stretch. That Cal game is easily my biggest disappointment in Rugby. The Bears went on to win the NCAA Championship, but they knew after that game that they weren’t the best team in the country… Ah well, those are the breaks.

What position(s) did you play? I played Flyhalf. I could kick with both feet which helped tremendously. My soccer and football background helped as well, but as we all know, it takes some time to figure out how to make decisions from the #10.  I coach now at the High School level and teaching the #10 is the hardest part of coaching.  We have to ‘unteach’ so much for the kids that played football it’s a process, but a rewarding one.

Best memory with the club: Touring New Zealand, Hanging with the team after games, hanging with Cal Sr year, and knowing we should have beat them.
Any awards you received: All American ‘89

What did you do after school? Played for BATS (Bay Area Touring Side) for a couple of years and then I had to get a job! 4 knee surgeries slowed the rugby down as well

What are you doing now? I’m currently the VP of Key Accounts for Mark Anthony Brands. We are a wine, beer, liquor producer and distributor in Canada and the United States. I also currently coach Rugby for the Granite Bay Rugby Club which is a club made up of kids from High Schools all over Placer County.

Where do you hope to see the club in the future? The move to D1 is going to be a tough one both competition wise and financially. I am excited to be helping the newly formed Alumni Board get going and building out an organization that is financially stable and that can compete for National Championships!

Julien Howespian

When did you play for Davis ? 2004-2008

What position(s) did you play? Fly-half and fullback

What is your best memory with the club? So many great memories come to mind, but one in particular changed the trajectory of my life. I came to Davis as a cocky Bay Area kid, just barely missing out on a red tag into Cal. Naturally, Davis would be a holding ground while I worked on my transfer. Freshman year we lost to Cal in Berkeley 0-23. However, it was a mere 0-5 at halftime deficit, and only after a questionable yellow card against our Captain and All-American Locke Aaron Latzke did the Bears finally pull away. I witness some the most competitive, passionate sportsmanship from that UC Davis team, like nothing I had ever witnessed in my life. Before that game, I wanted to be a Bear. After the game, all I wanted to do was beat them. We never did of course but it was a game changer for me, which ultimately lead me down the path of studying Viticulture and Enology at Davis and pursuing a career in winemaking.
Possibly my second-best memory was beating St Mary’s my senior year at home 38-35, against a rousingly dominant Gael program, led by some of their top All-American’s and Eagle prospects. Personaly, that was the pinnacle of an epic rivalry between SMC and UCD, every match sure to be a nail biter full of grit and passion between two nationally contending programs. Unfortunately, a page from that rivalry ended my career as an Aggie, losing by 5 points in the playoffs in Moraga a couple months later. But without a doubt, one of the most competitive and thrilling games of my career in any sport despite the loss. That year they cruised to the Final Four, as I’m sure we would have done the same.

What did you do after graduating? I was fortunate enough to be selected to Pacific Coast Grizzlies for the second time, so I trained for that a couple months before moving to Tahoe with four Davis teammates. We enjoyed a great year in the woods battling the elements and the economy, having a hell of a time through and through.

What are you doing now? Currently I am the Assistant Winemaker at Kosta Browne Winery in Sebastopol, Ca. Team dynamics, cooperation, and a competitive drive has come to play in my career during stressful and exhaustive harvest seasons. I also played two more seasons for the Santa Rosa Rugby Club, alongside an impressive list of former Davis alumni, several of who have played for 15+ straight years!

Where do you hope to see the club in the future? When I was the President of the Club in 2008, I foresaw UC Davis competing with the likes of BYU, Cal Berkeley, Life University, St Mary’s, the Military Academies and other power houses on a consistent and competitive level year in and year out. I pushed for a Varsity program with the University, promising that Rugby was the next up and coming sport in America, much more so than Lacrosse. Unfortunately, the University did not share my vision and cooperate in building a cohesive, sustainable, and thriving rugby program.
I still think the program can get there one day, playing in front of hundreds if not a thousand fans in a stadium like the old (I don’t know what the current one looks like) soccer stadium, with a club-house, alumni, family and friends present. I would love to see the team competing nationally with the best top-grade teams, traveling on buses to away games, touring once or twice a year, and having a trainer or training staff at every team practice and game. Then of course finishing the season with a classic smack down against the alumni association!

What is your favorite Aspect of the game? The camaraderie of rugby has always been the most rewarding component of the game. In no other game is there such a powerful emphasis on a team, no individual able succeed without strong support. I also always loved embracing all the new players to the team, not just the experienced ones like the Tyler James Harrison’s that just show up unannounced ready to explode onto college rugby, but equally the likes of Sam Shackelford, Brian Rozell, Cody Moody’s, the dudes who had never played the game before who find themselves dominating through pure athleticism in no time at all. The social functions that contribute to the rugby culture, bridging programs and players to one another is also a unique and gratifying aspect to the game.

Robert Meeson

When did you play for UC Davis? 2005 – 2006.

What positions did you play? I moved around from 8-man to Flanker and covered at Lock from time to time on the squad. The best times were playing blindside flanker with our big pack my last year, we had size across the board and had an impressive set of skilled players in all facets of the game.

What is your fondest memory of the club? I want to say it was qualifying to Nationals my freshmen year out in West Point, but I will always remember beating St. Mary’s on my 23rd birthday back in 2010. It was highly questionable if we would be able to play a match that week as a tremendous storm had come through the week before and dumped down on the Sacramento Valley. It was a very muddy affair, Sam Shackelford had a brilliant solo try, I was able to set up Cody Moody on a Gregan ball off the base of a ruck as well and he went in practically untouched from 10 meters out, we completely dominated them in all aspects of the game: Final score 24-11. It was sweet justice for all the losses we had against St. Mary’s in the playoffs over the years. Victory was sweet in the mud of Russell Field on that cold January day.

What did you do after school? After my time at Davis I returned to my local hometown of Sebastopol, Ca and continued playing rugby for the local team, Santa Rosa Rugby Club, with a few other UC Davis Alumni: Tyler Ahlborn, Ian Davis, Julien Howsepian and Sam Licina. We managed to make a few runs to the Division 2 final four club playoffs in Glendale, Co and eventually moved up to the Nor Cal first division. In 2015 PRO Rugby was started and I was fortunate enough to be selected to the Sacramento Express franchise as a lock. Becoming a professional rugby player at the age of 29 was a humbling experience and completely opened my eyes to new aspects and knowledge of the game. I’m forever grateful for being a part of that experience despite all the bad press and attention it has received of late. After PRO closed just before the beginning of the second season, I went North to Washington and joined the Seattle Saracens rugby club to reunite with my Sacramento teammate and current US Eagle, prop Olive Kilifi. We managed to finish 3rd in the BC Premiership, hands down the best North American amateur league I’ve ever played in. The move there was based on being prepared for any future ventures of professional rugby that might come out here in the US.

This year, Major League Rugby, a brand new professional league has started up and I have signed on with the Houston SaberCats. I’ve been out here since mid September, a week after Hurricane Harvey came through (thankfully not too much damage where I’ve been based). Outside of the everyday training, I also work for the SaberCats in a few separate roles, mostly dealing with ticket sales and community engagement activities. The organization is absolutely incredible: the training facilities are the same ones used by the MLS Houston Dynamo soccer team, our ownership group is extremely supportive of our needs as a team and the long term plans for developing a proper professional team here in the city. We’ve got the best squad of players and coaches I’ve ever played with in my life, if I were to list off everyone it would be too many players if I’m being honest. Our exhibition schedule started January 6 where we bested my old club, Seattle, 50-7 in front of 5,300 people. It was an incredible moment and I hope the league goes on as the new professional model for rugby here in the US.

What vision do you have for the team and alumni in the future? I’m very glad to see a great resurgence in the activation and unity of our alumni association. I think the sky is the limit in terms of what we can do to help raise the profile of UC Davis rugby in the American Rugby landscape. If we can build our fiscal strength and begin contributing towards an endowment, I think this is a great first step. It must start somewhere, it may as well begin now. If we can fund a proper coaching staff and medical staff, the athletes can be found on campus in these “beginning years” as we transition to a long term “rugby school” model. As the strength of the team builds on the national scene, rugby athletes will want to come to UC Davis on their own accord and we can build the program up further akin to what St. Mary’s has in place. Right now we can help these lads in planning and guidance of fundraising opportunities; I think there’s a prime opportunity to be had in running and organizing an annual beer festival in Davis that could become a recurring event as a primary income source in these early years. I’d love to return to NorCal and become a regularly contributing member of the association once my professional playing boots are hung up sometime in the next few years.

As for the team, I really hope that we can remain a top caliber program in the D1A competition, the best collegiate competition in the US. No one in the US gets to play at the same level we did in California; it was always a grind, one of the toughest schedules across the nation, and we became better rugby players because of it. I’m hopeful that our Women’s team will be-come a Varsity program at the university as this would automatically help our men’s program in any dealings with the school itself. It would be wonderful to see the team build up to three full squads and really take on training with a professional model in mind, akin to what all collegiate athletics programs maintain for their athletes. It’s easy to be the big fish in the small pond, and now that we’re back in D1A, we’re not giants in the big ocean of collegiate rugby…yet. The coaching staff in place has access to the proper tools and resources of knowledge to take these young men to higher standards and results. Excellence is the new standard, and it must be maintained every day for this team to be as great as we have come to see them per-form over the last few years. I’ll be following from afar in Houston but still rally for the boys at every chance I get.