Left: Tom Stulberg chases down a young boy during OBW 56. Right: Mike Burrows receives his Hall of Inspiration trophy.
Ann Arbor, MI- The University of Michigan Rugby Football Club celebrated their 57th year on campus with a massive celebration this past weekend that saw over 200 alumni return to Ann Arbor to celebrate the rich history of Michigan Rugby.
Among the many festivities that happened over the 4 days was the second Hall of Inspiration induction ceremony at the dinner held on Friday night. This year’s class saw Mike Burrows and Tom Stulberg two great members of the club and rugby community join the ranks of their peers in Michigan Rugby’s Hall of Inspiration.
Tom Stulberg
Tom’s involvement with the club has spanned many different roles ranging from player, coach, administrator and ref. He involvement with Michigan Rugby spans over three decades and has been a true clubman by always making sure it was left in a better state than he found it. Here are a few quotes from former team mates and players;
“Tom has shown undying commitment to the success of the club; he has been a complete team player, always putting the team and the organization first. He has supported the team as a player, team captain, coach, referee and overall organizer and strong contributor to the club in every way.”
“Tom was a great mentor to me during my playing days and was very involved in both the Collegiate and Club sides as a player and advisor. He continues to play spanning a very impressive career from his time as an Undergraduate.”
Mike Burrows
Mike is one of the founding members of the club and its first serving captain. During his time he often assumed the role of player and coach and helped make Michigan Rugby one of the largest clubs in the Midwest. His influence is still felt today with current team with some of the traditions that they honor. Here is what his teammate had to say;
“Mike co-founded the UMRFC with Burt Sugar, although Burt conveniently forgets that! Mike was Michigan’s first captain ever. Mike also returned for the legendary 50th Anniversary (and again last year!) and regaled many with his charm and stories, not to mention his fleet footwork in the pre-game Touch Rugby warm-up.”
Michigan Rugby will open up the nomination ballots again in the Spring of 2017 for the next class to be welcome to the Hall of Inspiration. If you would like to see the full list of inductees please follow this link.
Congratulations to this year’s inductees and we look forward to welcoming more in the future!
