Unit Profile

The Quantico Hooligans - 'Pure heart and desire'

"We're not the biggest or the fastest, but we're the fittest." — Bob McCarthy, head coach of the Hooligans

Rugby is a football game in which play is continuous without time-outs or substitutions, interference and forward passing are not permitted, and kicking, dribbling, lateral passing, and tackling are featured.

Rugby is made for Marines. The action is fast-paced and the play is chaotic. Teams do whatever it takes to win. The Quantico Rugby Football Club bands a diverse team of character-driven men: enlisted, officers, sailors, soldiers, even service members from other countries. Together, they make the Hooligans.

At practices, the club has enough players to fill a full game roster; however, military life often makes playing time hard to pencil in. To avoid forfeiting games, the Hooligans have welcomed pickups and taught the rules – sometimes just hours before a match.

Rugby for Dummies:

Pitch - a playing field

Team - (15 players) eight forwards concentrate on winning possession; seven backs advance the ball

Scrum - the method to restart play after a penalty or infraction has occurred

Game length - Two 40-minute halves separated by a 10-minute halftime. The referee is the sole timekeeper.

Substitutions - Only seven substitutions are allowed per team. Once substituted, a player cannot retake the field.

Blood bin - If a player is bleeding, that player may be temporarily substituted until the bleeding stops.

Team Leaders:

  1. Head Hooligan - Bob (Ogre) McCarthy
  2. Assistant Coach - Jon (Jake) Jacobs
  3. Assistant Coach - Rod Bondeson

2006 Rugby Football Club (RFC) Spring Opponents:

  1. Virginia Beach RFC
  2. Severn River RFC
  3. U.S. Naval Academy RFC
  4. Rappahannock RFC
  5. Washington Irish RFC
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. The Quantico Rugby Football Club holds practices at Freeny Field at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The team is a mixture of Marines, sailors, civilians and service members from countries around the world. The team practices in a dimly-lit baseball outfield with old, worn-down dugouts, befitting of a team called the "Hooligans."
Photo Illustration by Sgt. Leo A. Salinas
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. The Quantico Hooligans' Nic Brown sprints downfield as the Hooligans routed Rappahannock Rugby Football Club 70-10 April 1. The win brought the Hooligans spring season record to 3-1. The Hooligans were the 2005 Potomac Rugby Union Men's Club Division III champions.
Photo Illustration by Sgt. Leo A. Salinas

Practices:

  1. Tuesday and Thursday - Full Contact, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Barnett Field
  2. Monday and Wednesday - Lunchtime Touch, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Butler Stadium

Fall 2005 Results:

  1. Aug. 6 Phatback 10's Tournament - Away (W) 1st
  2. Aug. 27 Camp Lejeune RFC - Home (W) 60-0
  3. Sept. 10 Western Suburbs RFC - Home (W) 31-5
  4. Sept. 17 North Bay RFC - Home (W) 50-7
  5. Sept. 24 Rappahannock RFC - Away (W) 55-5
  6. Oct. 1 Winchester RFC - Away (W) 56-0
  7. Oct. 8 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences RFC - Home (W) by forfeit due to injuries
  8. Oct. 15 Patuxent River RFC - Away (W) 39-10
  9. Oct. 22 Washington Renegades RFC - Away (W) 27-0
  10. Oct. 29 West Potomac RFC - Away (W) 17-0
  11. Nov. 5 Happy Valley RFC - Home (W) by forfeit
  12. Nov. 12 Hooligan Old Boys vs. Hooligan Young Lads - (Old Boys) 44-5

For more information on the Quantico Hooligans, visit www.quanticorugby.org. Check out the second quarter issue of Marines magazine for additional information on how the Quantico Hooligans finished their Spring season.