| Full name | Jacksonville Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | Florida Rugby Union |
| Nickname(s) | Ospreys |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Ground(s) | Davis Park, Jacksonville |
| President | Tim Stouder |
| Coach(es) | Ricky Braun |
| Official website | |
| www.jaxrugby.org | |
Jacksonville Rugby Football Club (Jacksonville RFC), known as the Ospreys, are a men's rugby union team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are members of the Florida Rugby Union, the organizational body for rugby in the state of Florida, and currently play in USA Rugby Division II. The club was founded in 1972.
Jacksonville RFC was founded in 1972.[1] The original roster largely consisted of former college rugby players and a handful of locals.[2] Among their biggest events in the early years was playing in front of 50,000 spectators as part of the events surrounding the 1989 Gator Bowl.[1] After years of sporadic success, the team established itself in the 1990s under a string of British coaches, winning the 1996 state championship and going to the national championship.[2][3] More recently they have made the Florida Cup finals, won the Florida matrix, and played in the National Final 8.[2] In 2008 they won the USA Rugby South Division II Championship, and played in the national Final 16, ultimately finishing sixth in the country out of the 1,300 Division II teams.[4]
The team currently plays its home matches at Davis Park in Jacksonville. The team president is Tim Stouder; the head coach is Ricky Braun.[4]