You might have missed it—a flyer pinned to a bulletin board, a repost on Instagram, a passing comment in the halls—but something long dormant at Guilford College is waking up again. After quietly disappearing more than a decade ago, men’s rugby is making its return, driven not by institutional mandate but by a spark of student interest.
What began as a handful of conversations between students has grown into an organized effort led by head coach Josh Nowak. With new leadership, administrative guidance and rising enthusiasm, the sport that once held a strong presence on campus is steadily finding its footing again.
Although women’s rugby has established itself as a full NCAA varsity program at Guilford, the men’s team is returning as a campus organization, functioning within student activities rather than the athletic department. The structure is different, but for Nowak—a former rugby player at Norwich University—rebuilding the men’s program is more about people than paperwork.
“It stopped sometime in the ’90s or early 2000s,” Nowak said of the original team. “There was a big following and a lot of involvement back then.” Alumni have told him about the tight-knit group that once existed. Nowak wants to bring this experience back.
This fall, Nowak held the first interest meeting for the new team. Six students showed up—most of them athletes—and more have expressed interest since.
“There’s just one short of being able to form an official team,” Nowak said. “Most were former football players or soccer athletes. The interest is already spreading.”
For Nowak, success in the program’s early stages is not measured by wins or standings. “Success would look like getting them to understand the fundamentals of rugby,” he said. “If I get them 80% of the way there and they take the last 20% into games, that’s a success.”
Nowak is also honest about his long-term aspirations for the program. When asked whether he hopes men’s rugby can eventually become a varsity sport, he didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, absolutely,” Nowak said. “Eventually, I want to turn it into a varsity program and be on the same level of competition as the women’s team.”
But turning that hope into reality comes with a major obstacle: the NCAA does not sponsor men’s rugby at the Division III level.
“There is zero possibility, because it doesn’t exist with the NCAA,” Bill Foti, the athletic director of Guilford College, said. “You won’t find anything about men’s rugby in the entire NCAA manual.”
Despite that barrier, Foti believes men’s rugby can thrive on campus, even as a non-varsity organization. “It’s a really great spectator sport,” he said. “But I think it can be a nice landing spot.” By this, Foti believes the organization will offer a place for male athletes not wanting the commitment of a collegiate sport but the experience of still being on a team.
Foti also pointed to the women’s program, which has earned Guilford a strong rugby reputation in the region. “We are getting really well known as a rugby hub in North Carolina,” he said.
As interest in the men’s team grew, Nowak began to communicate with Lisa Cook, the director of the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE). Cook said Nowak first contacted her a few weeks before his first interest meeting.
“[Nowak] said male students were interested in having a men’s rugby team and asked what steps they needed to take,” Cook said.
Men’s rugby will meet with the GSBA executive board after winter break to present its mission, goals and leadership—a necessary step for becoming an official campus program. Cook said the team’s coach-led structure will make it distinct from other organizations that are entirely student-run.
Cook also noted the importance of community-building for student success, which she believes rugby can support.
“The students who have a community around them are the ones most comfortable figuring out who they are,” Cook said. “If it’s a strong culture that helps hold each other accountable, that really helps students do well academically and socially.”
Cook said her office will provide financial support, logistical guidance and publicity assistance as the team gets started. Still, she sees the real value in reviving a sport that many students have never experienced firsthand.
“It’s neat to see college campuses offer sports that students might not have grown up playing,” she said. “If it can be a positive environment for them, why not?”
But for Nowak, the answer always circles back to the same core idea: community. Rugby, he said, is unlike any sport in the loyalty and long-lasting relationships it builds.
“It’s a game of respect and a game of family,” he said. “The bonds you build in rugby carry on throughout life. I’m passionate about it. I love rugby.”
With renewed student interest, administrative momentum and a coach determined to rebuild the culture that once defined the sport at Guilford, men’s rugby is steadily returning—one practice, one player and one conversation at a time.
