 | |
| Union | Duwamish Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Location | Dawson, Duwamish |
| Ground(s) |
Dawson Bowl (Capacity: 45,000) |
| Chairman |
 Brian Han |
| Coach |
Rin Barker |
| Captain |
Hank Jeong |
| League | SimSports League of Rugby |
The Dawson Blizzard are a Duwamishite professional rugby union team based in Dawson that competes in the SimSports League of Rugby competition. Formed in 2011, their main home ground is the Dawson Bowl, shared with the Dawson Ducks soccer club and Dawson Olympics football franchise.
History[]
Rugby in Dawson[]
- Main article: Dawson Jaguars
The Duwamish Rugby Super League (DRSL) was founded as the first professional rugby football league, playing rugby union, in 1977 and included a team from Dawson, nicknamed the "Jaguars" for the popular jaguar exhibit at the Dawson Zoo. The Jaguars won the league championship eleven times, including a four-year stretch from 1990 to 1994, before the league ceased operations in 2005.
Foundation and inaugural season[]
The Dawson Blizzard was founded when the SimSports League of Rugby established two Duwamishite franchises, one in Kalama and another in Dawson. The Kalama franchise would be named Kalama R.F.C., while the Dawson franchise was named after the Great Dawson Blizzard of 2005. During their first match of the season, under head coach Rin Barker, the team lost 13–20 to the Algona Grizzlies. While on bye during week 2, the team narrowly lost 20–23 to RFC Airships in the first round of the Supporters Shield. In the second round playoff against the Rorysville Highlanders, the team got their first overall win, 27–15, to advance to the second round of the Supporters Shield. During week 3, Dawson won 14–10 over the Freeport Moose and later won over Sonic City RFC.
Name and colors[]
The Dawson Blizzard adopted the traditional sporting colors of Dawson, Dawson blue and Duwamish green, in their crests and jerseys. Their name comes from the Great Dawson Blizzard of 2005, which crippled the city and its suburbs. Their home kits are all green with white shoulder stripes, while their away kits are all blue with white shoulder stripes. Their jersey sponsor is currently Gangnam Aerospace.
Ground[]
The Dawson Blizzard's home ground is the 45,000-capacity Dawson Bowl in Dawson, which has its upper bowl covered with tarp during rugby matches and football games. The club has played at the Dawson Bowl since their foundation in 2011 and considered other sites around the Dawson area, including the 5,000-capacity Ducks Sports Complex.
Season standings[]
| League |
|---|
| SimSports League of Rugby |
Season Pos Pld W D L F A +/- LBP Pts Notes 2011 9th 3 1 1 1 42 54 -12 1 4
Players[]
2011 squad[]
|
Props Locks |
Loose Forwards Half Backs Fly Halfs |
Centres Wingers Full Backs |
Coaches[]
The Blizzard has been coached by Rin Barker since their foundation in 2011 and is assisted by Mark Williamson. Barker had previously been a fly-half for the Dawson Jaguars of the now-defunct Duwamish Rugby Super League (DRSL) between 2000 and 2004.
See also[]
- Kalama R.F.C. – other Duwamishite team in SSLR