A. Fraser Grigor first became involved with Penn State Rugby as an intern with the Nittany Lion Inn in 1965. After permanently emigrating from Scotland in 1970, Grigor became the Associate Director of Penn State's Housing and Food Services Department and continued his involvement with Penn State Rugby, where he made profound, long-term contributions to the success of the program. Some of his many volunteer services included player-coaching, management of club events, as well as the administration of club affairs, which included fund raising and the job of principal liaison with the Athletic Dept.

In addition to his work for Penn State, Grigor served two terms as Director of Collegiate Rugby on the USA Rugby Board of Directors.

Grigor supported the men's and women's rugby clubs for several decades. His dedicated leadership and amazing longevity have made him the acknowledged patron of rugby at Penn State. He remains an invaluable resource and advisor to the rugby program and lifetime member of the Alumni Association.

Grigor was honored in August of 2006 as the first recipient of the PSU Rugby Distinguished Service Award, an award subsequently named for him "the A. Fraser Grigor Award." Recipients of this award are designated "Lions Rampant" to honor their truly extraordinary contributions to the success and prestige of rugby at Penn State.

Marshall Sturm (BS Science, '67) enrolled at Penn State in 1962 having never heard of rugby. A lifelong athlete, Sturm sought a physical activity to keep him sane. His roommate, John Pasuit, convinced Sturm and several men in their apartment building to go out for the team, and Sturm's lifelong dedication to rugby began in the spring of 1963. The team, founded just one season before, was in need of strong leadership and Sturm stepped up right away as match secretary. He would later lead the team as captain before graduating.

Sturm served as an Army Ordnance Officer in Korea in the late 60s and played rugby throughout the Philadelphia area, founding the Blackthorn Rugby Club in 1971 and remaining actively involved for over 35 years. Since graduating from Penn State, Sturm has served many years on the alumni Board of Directors. Sturm additionally purchased the first set of actual rugby jerseys ever worn by Penn State and remained the rugby merchandise coordinator for decades. Sturm felt inspired to create a scholarship program to help talented high school rugby players around Pennsylvania. In 1985, Sturm began organizing former Penn State rugby players for participation in the Golden Oldies, an international Old Boys Rugby Festival, held around the world, up to 1997. 

Perhaps his greatest legacy, Sturm began organizing alumni reunions in 1969. He began work on what is today an intricate and far-reaching database of former player information spanning over 40 years of Penn State Rugby. He was also a founding officer of the alumni club when it was incorporated in 2001. Sturm was a founding father and force at the center of getting and keeping the alumni organized around the sport at Penn State over decades. His work established a precedent for keeping Penn State Rugby Alumni connected to the sport and to the university.

Charlie Smith (MS Acctg '61, PhD Acctg '68) was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He returned to Penn State University as Chair of the Accounting Department in 1987. A rugby player since the age of 11, Smith played for rugby teams in South Africa and played for and coached rugby teams for various universities in the United States. As a graduate student, he played for, coached, and served as advisor for the Penn State Men's rugby team from 1964 to 1967.

During these pioneering years, Smith worked to officially document the rugby club, acquire the first set of official rugby jerseys, and obtain support from the University in the form of public relations and transportation as the club grew roots. Smith even secured an exhibition rugby match during half time of a Penn State football game in 1966.

In 1991, women's club players Su Blasi and Beth Baldwin approached Smith to serve as coach and advisor for the women's rugby team at Penn State. Smith helped to renew the women's team as an official student organization in December, 1991. In the fall of 1992, the women's team made it to Midwest playoffs for the first time and qualified for the 1993 Final Four in Houston, taking third place. The women's team made Final Four appearances in 1994 and 1995, placing third and second, before Smith retired as head coach in 1995.

In addition to on-field excellence, Smith made great contributions to the University relations with the women's club and laid foundations for the business of quality management and administration for the team.

Terry Ryland (BS-Sec Ed '76) began his involvement with Penn State rugby as a student in 1973 and played on the club team until 1984. As the team moved to a collegiate side, he began assisting then head coach Bruce Hale from 1984 to 1991 and assumed the head-coaching role in 1992. Over the next twelve years, Ryland would lead the men's team to the national championships play-offs eleven times and to six final fours, with four appearances in the championship game. He coached 16 All Americans and five Eagles before stepping back to an assistant head coach in 2004.

During his tenure, Ryland had the honor of coaching three of his sons (Andrew, Timothy and Christopher). In fact, Penn State Rugby became a Ryland family affair, with Terry's wife Julie and his other children providing unlimited support throughout the years. Terry also enjoyed playing beside his twin brother Tom during his years on the field. The Ryland family has become synonymous with excellence on and off the field as Andy became an All American and a capped Eagle in 15's and 7's and Tim became team captain and All American. Andy and Tim also represented the USA in the NA4 Series.

Ryland's coaching skills have been recognized nationally. He was twice named a national All-American selector and once asked to serve as an advisor for the squad. He also coached the Midwest Collegiate squad five times and the MARFU Collegiate Sevens squad seven times.

Dr. Bruce Hale (PhD Kines, '81) started his rugby career at Penn State in 1973 as a grad student in Kinesiology. He was instantly hooked and played as a student and staff member for 10 years until an injury ended his playing career at wing and fullback. His playing highlights included captain of the Penn State team, winning the first Bartoletti Cup, and 2nd place in the prestigious Ontario 7s championship. Upon retirement from playing, he became the head coach of the men's side in 1983 and remained in that position until 1993, when he and his wife moved to England.

Along with Charles Burford, Hale coached the undefeated 1984 side and Penn State's first two final four appearances in 1989 and 1992 at the USA Rugby Division I National Collegiate Championship. He coached Penn State's first All-American, flyhalf Peter Karmilowicz in 1992 and Scottish international lock, Andrew MacDonald, in 1985. Hale helped found and coach the highly successful Division III Penn State Berks campus side, which won back-to-back EPRU conference championships in 2006 and 2007. He also authored the Rugby Tough sports psychology text with Dave Collins, and had the opportunity to serve as a sport psychologist to the US Eagles, and men's and women's U19 Eagle teams.

Jim Mathias began his association with Penn State Rugby at the end of his playing career when he joined the club side as a center in 1983. After the club voted to become a strictly undergraduate organization in 1985, he continued to play for the alumni team "the Lost Lions" in tours and tournaments until the early nineties. In 1997 Mathias and his wife created the "Jim and Susan Mathias Rugby Endowment" to benefit both the men's and women's programs at Penn State, announcing the gift the night before the women won their first national championship. In 2003, Jim and Susan added another major gift to seed the work of the Penn State Rugby alumni club in supporting the teams.

After a brief stint working with the USA Rugby national technical panel as a member of the executive committee and a coaching instructor, Mathias joined head coach Peter Steinberg and the Penn State women's coaching staff as a backs coach in 2002. Mathias was part of a 2003 group that developed Penn State Rugby's first strategic plan and in succeeding years was instrumental in guiding the implementation of many of the plan's initial objectives as the executive director and an officer of the Rugby Alumni Club. Jim developed the vision and plan to build the Kabala Family Rugby Hall.

Throughout his decades of involvement with Penn State Rugby, Mathias's tireless commitment to the program helped establish the sport as a permanent fixture within the university. His work behind (and before) the scenes enabled the teams" successes on and off the field and his dedication to creating a professionally managed rugby club helped secure Penn State Rugby's place as one of the nation's best rugby programs.

In the Fall of 1962, two international graduate students at Penn State felt inspired to create a rugby club. Pat Denny from England, and Ivan Jackson (MS Min Sci ‘61, PhD Engineering ‘65) from New Zealand, missed the sport that was so established in their home countries. So, the two teaching assistants founded the Penn State Rugby Club.

By word of mouth and notice boards they advertised the club’s formation and got a surprisingly enthusiastic turnout. Jackson, voted the first team captain, played flanker and coached the forwards, while Denny, first team president, played inside center and coached the backs.

The first rugby pitch at Penn State was a west-campus intramural field adjacent to the university golf course along N. Atherton St. The new team was given a set of old American football jerseys that became the first rugby jerseys, worn for the first home match against Villanova on October 13, 1962. Penn State lost the first effort, but established a tradition of excellence that would grow to become one of the nation’s top rugby programs.

Jackson and Denny stopped their rugby participation at Penn State in the mid-60s upon graduation, but left behind them a legacy of excellence and decades of championships.