July Alumnus of the Month: Jason Wolff

Jason Wolff is our July Alumnus of the Month!

When did you play?

I played for the U of M from 1994-1997.

What position did you play?

I played center, mostly outside center. I wasn’t big (about 180 pounds soaking wet), but I had enough speed and tackling ability to make a go for it.

What got you started?

I used to hang out in West Quad where Mike Springs (hooker/scrum half) lived and he got me started (this was January 1994).  I remember the practices in Oosterbaan, at the time being led by Warpig.  I wouldn’t say I was a consistent member of the team until that Fall.  After getting broken in as a lonely wing, I ended up playing center for the rest of my days (with the occasional time as a completely undersized forward when needed for B-side matches). 

What honors/awards did you receive?

I was honored to be on the team that won the Michigan Cup in 1997.

What are your favorite memories/teammates?

We had a good group of guys on the college side and I was fortunate enough to experience a couple spring break trips to Florida.  We had Jason Kuo, Sketchy Jay, Salamango, Springs, Zev Winkelman (fellow center), Waddy, Federov, Ginger, Sooper Yooper (Carl), Rico Harley, Punisher….the list goes on.  We travelled to Ohio State for the Big 10’s, way up north to the UP, Cincinnati, Windsor, Athens (OH), Toronto, etc.  The weekend trips were always a good time, and the post-match shindigs at Bob Dewey were also a highlight.  To this day, I’ll still sing a few bars of a rugby song or two while my kids are in the car.  And I will always remember hanging out with my teammates at Mitch’s bar in town.

I remember for one of the Florida trips I had to fly down a couple days after the team, and Dave Perpich gave me a ride to the airport.  He ended up driving on to the tarmac and right up to my gate (simpler times before 9/11!!).  That might have been the trip where I performed the traditional first rugby try celebration.

There were many experienced players that were an integral part of my time, most of which are still involved with the team:  Brian Zimmer, Stulberg, Hagerman, Perpich (gave me my first Hawaiian shirt), Zeb, Satan, Masso, Elmo, Hagan, Muskrat, Ed Spybrook, Warburton, Weber, Lou, the Egyptian Magician (Sam), Mike Carter, Nemec, too many names to list!  Practicing with the men’s side made us better players, especially someone like me with zero rugby experience.  A lot of these guys have been instrumental in keeping the team running smoothly over the years, and I’m sure there are other “friendly new guys” like me that had a great experience playing rugby because of them. 

One of my last matches and greatest memories was playing with the men’s side for the Michigan Cup in 1997.  The field was an awesome, muddy mess and we were able to win the cup in a low scoring slog.  I tore up my knee shortly after in a match against Sarnia, and that was it – my short rugby career was over.

What have you been doing since Michigan Rugby?

I graduated from U of M in 1997 (BSE Chemical Engineering) and moved around to Ohio, Virginia, and Delaware.  I’ve rooted down in Wilmington, Delaware with wife (Susanne) and kids (Sophia and Alexis). 

Congratulations to Jason as our Alumnus of the Month for July 2021!