Cheyney University – Rugby Team

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania finalized a plan to introduce a rugby program into their school's system; a moment that had been over 150 years in the making came to fruition.

Cheyney University is the oldest Historical Black College/University in the United States, and since their inception in 1837 they never had a rugby program until now. The catalyst for this change was one of their Alumni, LeRoy McCarthy.

McCarthy, a filmmaker and Cultural Advocate with a lot of his work centering around Hip Hop icons such as Biggie Smalls and Tupac. McCarthy said, “I was introduced to Rugby by watching Jonah Lomu and the New Zealand All Blacks on TV while on vacation in my birth country of Jamaica.”

“I was raised in Brooklyn, NY, where I've played Club Rugby for almost two decades. I have seen the potential that the sport of Rugby has had on players and communities,” as McCarthy elaborated.

As I continue to do research on this topic and to get the response I notice that people were proud of what took place. It is a great way to promote the sport and culture of rugby. The next talent could come out of a new program like this for both men and women. People were thrilled to give feedback and to learn more about what was going on.