Rugby Becomes Third Cal Sport to Be Endowed

Cal announced on Tuesday that the Golden Bears rugby program has become fully endowed, making it the third Cal sport that is endowed.

Rugby joins Cal’s men’s and women’s golf programs, which reached that endowment level last September.  Chancellor Richard Lyons said in March that he expected four more sports to be fully endowed, and with the announcement that rugby is now endowed, that leaves three more Cal sports he expects to be endowed.

Endowment allows those sports to continue as varsity sports at Cal despite the financial challenges Cal faces in this new era of college sports, which includes direct payments to athletes from the university.

"This remarkable accomplishment wonderfully advances our strategy to get as many of our Olympic sports as possible endowed," Chancellor Rich Lyons said in a statement provided by Cal. "We began this academic year without a single endowed team. Rugby brings us to three! The generosity, dedication, and devotion of Cal Rugby's many supporters is a big reason why rugby's performance over the decades is unmatched. Thanks, Cal Rugby, for helping us launch a whole new era of excellence for Cal Athletics."

Cal won its 29th rugby 15s national championship last month. And now he Golden Bears rugby program has raised more than $40 million from several thousand donors over the years to become endowed.

"Rugby has always paid its own way, based on the example that Doc [former Cal rugby coach Miles "Doc" Hudson], and even the coaches before Doc set," current head coach Jack Clark said in a statement provided by Cal. "Fundraising has been a significant aspect of the head coaching responsibilities over my time here. It has always been clear to us that it was our job to ensure the permanence of Cal rugby. We've never had a sense of entitlement."

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