Dr. Dale Toohey: Founder of CSULB Rugby

Most people familiar with the history of CSULB Rugby are familiar with Dr. Dale Toohey, the founder of the club. Dr. Toohey was recently admitted to the 49er Hall of Fame. Here is a hi-resolution photo gallery of Dr. Toohey being recognized as the pioneer of 49er Rugby. Click on the thumbnail to view to the photo.

 

 

 

 

CSULB UNIVMAG wrote an article about Dr. Toohey and the history of rugby at the Beach.

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Rugby: Rough and tumble

By Lyndsey Shinoda
CSULB UNIVMAG

Take away the shinguards, shoulder pads, helmets and kneepads. Add a little dirt, mud, some bumps and bruises, and you'll get a sport tougher than football and more exhausting than soccer: rugby.

Founded and coached by Dr. Dale Toohey of the Kinesiology and physical education department, the Long Beach State Rugby Club is in its 28th year, having won 87 percent of its games.

"We run a very serious program, a very competitive program; we take the game very seriously," Toohey says. "In my 28 years, we've never had a losing season."
The club's success is evident in Toohey's office. Almost every square inch of wall and shelf space is filled with plaques, banners, trophies, cups and other signatures of a winning program. Toohey himself is a legend in the sport. Inducted into the National Rugby Hall of fame, Toohey has coached at universities around the world.

"Playing for Dale Toohey is like playing for the omnipotent; he knows the game too well," says team captain Harold Hoffman. "It's as if he can predict the outcome of the game and plays before we, his players, even step on the field."

This is Hoffman's last year playing for the legendary Australian coach. Toohey is retiring after the club tours France in August. While there is no doubt Toohey's coaching prowess will be missed, both coach and players say those under the legend have been well trained. Dr. Emyr Williams will take over as head coach next season.
Rugby is a sport that welcomes all shapes and sizes of players, but it is a game that shows no mercy on those who participate.

"There's no protection," says Hoffman, a junior creative writing major. "Having padding or protection was outlawed in the United States. It takes total self-confidence to play rugby -- and a higher threshold of pain."

Hoffman says the LBSU Rugby Club is made up a variety of athletes, including ex-wrestlers, water polo players and football players. Rugby is a very demanding sport. In 80 minutes of play, with two halves and no timeouts, the players must be in extremely good physical condition. Unless an injury occurs, there are no substitutions.

"A lot of people come in looking for the contact, but it's a very gentlemanly sport," Hoffman says. "Our game is a very controlled game. There's a mutual respect between teams."

Chris Findell, a junior international studies/sociology major, has been on the rugby club for three years. Findell believes to play rugby "you've gotta have heart, be somewhat tough."

"It's not as barbaric as some may think," Findell says. "It is a fast-paced game, and you get to interact with friends on the field."

Unfamiliar with rugby and its European origin, most players on The Beach Rugby Club began playing when they came to college. Toohey attributes this to Americans being introduced to baseball, American football and soccer at an early age.

Sam Jones is an exchange student from the University of Wales in Cardiff, England. The English student has been playing rugby since he was 8 years old. Jones, a starter on the rugby club this year, quickly noticed the difference between American and European rugby.

"The tactics here are the same, but [the weather is] a lot hotter," Jones says. "The first game I played in America was at UCLA. It was 85 degrees, I almost died."
Toohey says because of the weather in Southern California, individual clubs can practice and condition more. The club practices twice a week during the season, and its 15 players are expected to keep in good physical condition on their own.

The club has toured every major rugby-playing country over the last 10 years, including Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and, most recently, South Africa.

Associated Students Incorporated funds Beach rugby, but Toohey says the A.S.I. money covers uniforms, equipment and fees and that's before a single game is played. He says the players themselves cover most costs.

"Rugby is not a sport for the strong or even the athletically superior," Hoffman says. "Players who have an immense sense of dedication and self-worth excel at this sport. A sense of pride and passion truly make the difference between the good and the average in rugby."

The LBSU Rugby Club is neither just good nor average. Competing against many strong rugby teams from universities around California, they finished third this year with a record of 13-3 in the University Division of the Southern California Rugby Union.

With a winning tradition and a history of producing legendary All-Americans, future CSULB rugby players have quite a legacy.

"I'd like to think it has something to do with the coaching," Toohey says with a smile, "and talking to other students. It is an exciting place to be right now. "