Princeton Rugby Repeats as Rickerson Cup Champions

 Princeton University Rugby wins Rickerson Cup

Fields at Princeton Named for Ridge Graduate and Member of Hall of Fame

PRINCETON, N.J.-- New Jersey’s college rugby clubs competed in the 5^th annual New Jersey Men’s Intercollegiate Rugby Championship, simultaneously with the 2011 Ivy League Women’s Rugby Championship on the Princeton University campus. 

The event, which is named the Rickerson Cup in honor of former Ridge High School standout Stu Rickerson.  Rickerson, who is a 6-year pancreatic cancer survivor, and is a member of the school's Hall of Fame.

Princeton University was the Men’s winner in this single-day tournament with 3 wins, including against the Finalist, William Patterson College. The Tiger was crowned as the 2011 New Jersey Intercollegiate Rugby Champion and winner of this year’s Rickerson Cup, emblematic of New Jersey collegiate rugby supremacy. Other teams competing included Seton Hall University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, Drew University and The College of New Jersey.

Brown University won the Women’s tournament over host Princeton and was crowned as the 2011 Ivy League Champion. Dartmouth University placed 3^rd, Yale University was 4^th and Cornell University was 5^th. University of Pennsylvania placed 6th and Columbia University was 7th.

This year, the student athletes again raised awareness and called for more funding for pancreatic cancer research. In the past 2 years the students have raised over $60,000 from tee-shirt sales and contributions for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the leading organization in this area in the Nation. For more information, use this link.

Richard Lopacki, Director of Princeton’s rugby program said, “By highlighting the need for more research into an especially lethal form of cancer,” Lopacki added, “these students made a statement that they’re not just playing a game. While it was great to see hundreds of rugby players and so many fans at our annual NJ festival of rugby, it is gratifying to know that we are doing something far larger.”

• Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of the deadly cancers, and the only major cancer that still has 5-year survival rates in the single digits. For more, go to http://www.pancan.org/
• About 1 in 75 people develops pancreatic cancer, and about half of them will die within 6 months of diagnosis.
• The risk is about the same for men and women, and cuts across all socioeconomic groups and cultures in the U.S.
• Pancreatic cancer is the 4^th leading cause of cancer deaths in America, and receives far less research funding than many far less lethal diseases.
• This cancer has no early detection test, there is no known cause or cure and, with such a high percentage dying so quickly, the treatment options are largely unproven.
• Among the pancreatic cancer survivors are United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the CEO of Apple Computers, Steve Jobs. Other notables who died from the disease include actors Patrick Swayze and Michael Landon, author Randy Pausch, New York Times columnist William Safire, NCAA chief Miles Brand, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti.

This devastating form of cancer also deeply affected the Princeton Rugby community. Former Princeton’s women’s captain, Elaine Bigelow ’10, now Tournament Director, lost her father to a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer when she was a senior in high school. She said,

 “You don’t need to study biostatistics to conclude that the more research funding deadly cancers get, the fewer deaths result,” Bigelow said. “Tragically, opposite is also true,” she continued, “pancreatic cancer is near the bottom of both private and federal research funding, receiving far less than other far less lethal cancers. As a result, pancreatic cancer is near the top in patient deaths, with about 100 people dying from it every day of the year.”

Stu Rickerson, after whom the New Jersey Championship Cup is named, has been battling the disease for just over 6 years. He said, “More than luck should decide who lives after getting diagnosed with this terrible disease, and who does not.” He added, “The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is doing something to change the odds. Recently, the organization announced a goal to double 5-year survival rates for these patients by 2020.”

After the games on Saturday, Princeton rugby alumni representing 32 different undergraduate classes and spanning the years 1953 to 2010 hosted the Princeton student-athletes at a celebration marking the 80^th anniversary of continuous play of rugby at Princeton and the 30^th year of rugby play by Princeton women at the historic Nassau Inn. (Ed. Note: Princeton University did not admit women as undergraduates until 1970.)

At the celebration, Princeton University announced that it would name one of its athletic fields for long-time Princeton supporters, Stu Rickerson (Class of 1971), and his Princeton varsity soccer playing spouse, Nancy Jones Rickerson (Class of 1987).

Rickerson also acknowledged the role his father, Malcolm “Mac” Rickerson, the scholastic football and track captain at Westfield High (Class of 1924) and later as player on the Plainfield Cedarbrooks football team, played in encouraging him to attend Princeton. The plaque, which will be permanently installed next to Princeton’s home rugby pitches, reads:

RICKERSON FIELD

In Grateful Recognition of

Stuart E. Rickerson ‘71

Who with Tiger’s Heart and Tiger’s Roar

Uplifts the Spirit of the men and women of

Princeton Rugby

The Gift of Friends and Teammates

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ABOUT THE PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK: The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the only national organization creating hope for patients and their families in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization raises money for direct private funding of research—and advocates for more aggressive corporate, foundation and federal research funding of medical breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. The organization helps individuals and communities all across the country to work together to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. Donations can be made easily at the event or at: http://www.firstgiving.com/rickersoncup-njrugbychampionships (note, “Rickerson Cup” on gifts).