1975 Sexist OSU Newsletter
The Old Man, the newsletter of the Ohio State University Men’s Rugby club announced the formation of the Ohio State women’s team. Note the graphic illustration of a female player.
1977 The Pitch
The Tube and the Pitch, two different Ohio State Women’s team newsletters from 1977 show the grassroots organizing, bawdy nature of women’s rugby at the time.
Support us today!
When you contribute to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation you become part of a movement to support girls and women involved in rugby.
We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
All donations made are tax deductible.
Support us today!
When you contribute to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation you become part of a movement to support girls and women involved in rugby.
We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
All donations made are tax deductible.
Alex Williams
Alex Williams was inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of
Fame in 2018, becoming only the fourth woman to receive this honor.
Her impact on American rugby has been both historic and wide-reaching.
Alex was a member of five Rugby World Cups — three as a player (1994,
1998, 2002) and two as an assistant coach (2006, 2010). Over her
storied career, she was part of nine National Championships, winning
five as a player and four as a coach, and was named MVP of the D1
National Club Championships in 1996 and 2002. At the time of her
retirement in 2004, Alex was the Women’s National Team Captain and the second most capped U.S. woman in
History.
Alex began her rugby career at Radcliffe/Harvard in 1988, later
playing for Beantown (1991–2000) and the Berkeley All Blues
(2001–2004). She earned selection to the New England, East Coast,
Northeast, and Pacific Coast All-Star teams. Her coaching career was
equally distinguished: she served as assistant coach for the Northeast
Select Side, Berkeley All Blues, and San Diego Surfers, head coach of
the Berkeley All-Blues and the Pacific Coast Grizzlies, and was the U.S. Women’s National Team Forwards Coach.
Off the field, Alex was a trailblazer in rugby governance and
development. She served as the U.S. Rugby Women’s High-Performance
Manager (2008–2012), co-founded the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and sat on its Governing Council (2009–2012). She was also a USAR Director (2004–2006), member of the USAR Congress (2006–2008), and contributed to the USAR Women’s Competition Committee and Collegiate Management Council. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Executive Director of Southern California Youth Rugby, furthering opportunities for the next generation of youth and high school players.