Scholarships are open to graduating high school rugby players who are pursuing their rugby career while continuing their education at the collegiate level.
Terry O’Reilly was a passionate rugby player and supporter throughout his life. Born in Farnborough, England, he played for St. Anselm’s College in Birkenhead before he emigrated to America when he was 16. Growing up in Los Angeles, he continued to play rugby for Loyola Marymount. Spurning a career in television to continue his on-field play, he chose a legal career through a stint at Boalt Law School at Berkeley, where he played rugby for Cal. Following law school, he continued to play for several club teams, including the Bay Area Touring Side (“BATS”), the Old Blues of Berkeley, and the San Jose Silverhawks.
Following his 25 years of active play, Terry was extremely active in supporting the Northern California Rugby Football Union and Cal rugby. He was a Trustee of the U.S. Rugby Foundation from 1993 to his death in 2015. He was dedicated to making rugby as popular a sport in the United States as it is in most of the world.
To honor one of the most prolific players to ever pull on a United States Eagles jersey, the United States Rugby Football Foundation is pleased to announce the Kevin Higgins College Scholarship Program. A dashing number 13 who could play a rugged 12 and also outpace most on the wing. Kevin “Higgy” Higgins was a three-time Collegiate All-American at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Kevin was still a student when he made the first of 28 test match appearances against Japan in 1985. He represented the United States at the first two Rugby World Cups, in 1987 (Australia) and 1991 (England), and captained the team three times, a testament to his overall skill and leadership. Kevin also earned 16 ‘caps’ with the USA 7s team, making three trips to the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens Tournament.
The United States Rugby Foundation will award Ten, $1,000 Kevin Higgins College Scholarships to deserving high school seniors who go on to play rugby in college. These independent scholarships are open to all graduating high school rugby players in the U.S. who will be pursuing their rugby careers while continuing their education at the collegiate level.
The Richard A. Donelli College Scholarship was created to honor one of the most dominating players of the 1960’s and 1970’s. A former starting quarterback for Columbia University, Dick Donelli co-founded the Old Blue Rugby Football Club in 1961. A physically dominating scrumhalf, Donelli was legendary for his athleticism, technical passing skills and competitive nature. In 1972, Donelli captained the Met New York All-Stars against the New Zealand All-Blacks in a 40-10 defeat. Dick later coached the Old Blue RFC to four final four appearances from 1979-1986. Each year, the United States Rugby Foundation awards a scholarship to a junior or senior collegiate player, male or female, within reasonable proximity to the New York Metropolitan area before or after graduation. The scholarship is in the amount of $1,000 and is awarded at the Old Blue Annual Hall of Fame Dinner.
The Meg Votta Memorial Fund was created in 2010 to honor the memory of Margaret “Meg” Votta, who passed away in November 2009 after a valiant battle with ovarian cancer. The fund was established to provide scholarships for deserving members of the rugby community who have been active players in the local high school programs and to be used for continuing education.
Meg graduated from Hamilton College. But her rugby career began as a player for Cornell Women’s Rugby Football Club, which became the Gotham City Women’s RFC and ultimately New York Women’s Rugby (NYRC). She is perhaps the only woman to wear all three jerseys.
Address: All correspondence will go to the address you specify on your application. It is your responsibility to inform the United States Rugby Foundation of any changes to your address, phone number, email address, etc.
You must complete this section correctly and in its entirety or your application will be disqualified.
To complete this section, you will need:
