Pride

Our Mission

We are a club dedicated to growing the sport in Houston and the country. We love to play this sport and want to see it continue its upward momentum.

Our Start

In November of 1974, two men, one a displaced northerner - the other a Texas native son, answered an ad. They found this ad in the program of the Annual Lone Star Invititational Rugby Tournament in Houston , Texas. These two men, Bob Zimmerman and Al Gonzales, helped the writer of the ad, Walk Conaway, to form the nucleus of the Bay Area Rugby Club. For more than a year they were, virtually, the entire club. In fact, it wasn't until the late Sprig of 1976 that the team was able to participate in a game without having to rely heavily on walk-ons and borrowed players. From that inauspicious beginning, the club has grown into an organization that has friends around the state and around the world.

A short year and a half after their first victory in April 1977, the Ruckers made their first international sojourn. They reached the quarter finals in the Bordener's Invitational Rugby Tournament in Windsor, Ontario. The team lost a close game to the Lusaka Leopards, a Rugby Football Club from Lusaka, Zambia. The club has always boasted an international flavor. From its conception we've had a fair share of players from other lands.

The rest is history.....

Middle Years

Throughout the years BARC has seen their fortunes fluctuate as with any club. The club has twice traveled to the DIII national playoffs, with the most recent trip to Columbia, SC in 2007 where BARC finished as the 5th best team in the entire nation.

Current Years

In the 2023-2024 season Bay Area is competing in the Red River Men's DIII South division. The team has made steady progress in growing as a club these last couple years. There are lots of new faces being introduced to the game and we look to translate their youth, athleticism and enthusiasm to winning matches and growing the sport.

And of course, one of the biggest changes this season is the addition of a brand new women's team. Lauren Patterson has been instrumental in putting this team together. Their first official match will be in January 2018. We are extremely proud to have this addition to our BARC family.