Old Mission Beach Athletic Club Rugby, commonly referred to as OMBAC Rugby, is a
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team based in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California. It is directly affiliated with the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club.
History
The club was established in 1966 under the wing of Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) which was founded in 1954. Many past students of
San Diego State Aztecs Rugby Club joined, and the OMBAC rugby club entered first division competition two years later in 1968. The club has won 6 national Rugby Sevens titles and 8 national Rugby Fifteens titles.
Venue
After the deconstruction of
San Diego Stadium
San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, United States. Opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium; it was renamed Jack Murphy Stadium for sportswriter Jack Murphy (sportswriter), Jack Murphy from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 t ...
and the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
football facilities, The Little Q Rugby Field was lost forcing OMBAC to find a new home. OMBAC Rugby club now shares a home venue with rival club Old Aztecs at Robb Field in
Ocean Beach.
Current 1st XV squad
Players in bold are internationally capped.
Notable former players
OMBAC players
Mike Saunders,
Brian Vizard,
Kevin Higgins,
Steve Gray,
Chris Lippert and more recently,
Dan Lyle, and
Dave Hodges, have captained the
United States national rugby union team
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in men's international rugby union competitions. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, a ...
in international competition.
OMBAC was represented in the 2007 Rugby World Cup by team members
Todd Clever
Todd Stanger Clever (born January 16, 1983) is an American retired rugby union player. He became the first American to play Super Rugby. At the international level, he was a member of the United States national team, served as captain, and is t ...
,
Tui Osborne and
Dan Payne
Daniel Payne (born August 4, 1972) is a Canadian actor best known for playing the role of John in the television series '' Alice, I Think''.
Career
In his early 20s, Payne was a professional volleyball player. After his retirement, he was convin ...
. Former OMBAC player
Will Hafu has played internationally for Tonga and also played professionally in England for
Moseley RFC.
National Championships
OMBAC Rugby has distinguished itself with the following accomplishments:
*2010 U.S.A. D3 National Champions
*2006 Rugby Super League Champions
*1996 U.S.A. National Champions
*1994 U.S.A. National Champions
*1993 U.S.A. National Champions
*1991 U.S.A. National Champions
*1989 U.S.A. National Champions
*1988 U.S.A. National Champions
National 7s
*2006 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
*2002 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
*2001 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
*2000 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
*1995 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
*1985 U.S.A. 7s National Champions
National Placement
*2014 Pacific Rugby Premiership Third place
*2003 Super League Runners-Up
*2002 Super League Semi-Finalists
*2001 Super League Runners-Up
*2000 Super League Semi-Finalists
*2000 Third Place U.S.A. National Club Championships
*1997 Third Place U.S.A. National Club Championships
*1995 Runners-Up U.S.A. National Club Championships
*1996 Runners-Up U.S.A. 7s National Club Championship
First XV Honors
This is a list of honors awarded to the OMBAC
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team.
*
USA Rugby
USA Rugby (formally the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby ...
Division I Champions - 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
**Second place - 1995
**Third place - 1997, 2000
*
USA Rugby
USA Rugby (formally the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby ...
National Club Sevens Champions - 1985, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
**Second place - 1996, 2005, 2007
**Third place - 1997
*
USA Rugby
USA Rugby (formally the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby ...
Division III Champions - 2010
*
Rugby Super League Championship
**First place - 2006
**Second place - 2001, 2003
**Fourth place - 2000, 2002
Sponsorship
OMBAC Rugby's sponsors for the 2014 Pacific Rugby Premiership are the following:
Official OMBAC Sponsors
/ref>
*Community sponsor - Turner construction company
*Social sponsor - The beachcomber mission beach
*Event sponsor - The Tilted Kilt mission valley
*Kit sponsor - Canterbury
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Mission Beach Athletic Club Rfc
Rugby union teams in San Diego
Rugby clubs established in 1966
1966 establishments in California