Ohio Aviators (rugby union)

Last updated
Ohio Aviators
Ohio Aviators logo.png
Full nameOhio Aviators
Union USA Rugby
Founded2016
Location Obetz, Ohio, U.S.
Ground(s) Fortress Obetz (Capacity: 6,500)
Coach(es) Paule Barford
Top scorer Shaun Davies (84)
Most tries Spike Davis (14)
League(s) PRO Rugby (2016)
World Tens Series (2020-present)
Kit left arm Ohioleft.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body Ohiokit.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm Ohioright.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
1st kit
Kit left arm Ohioleftb.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body Ohiokitb.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm Ohiorightb.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
2nd kit
Official website
www.ohioaviators10s.com

The Ohio Aviators are an American rugby union team that played professionally in the short lived PRO Rugby competition. They are based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, and played their home games at Memorial Park in Obetz, Ohio. They are now playing in the newly formed World Tens Series.

Contents

History

PRO Rugby announced on February 9, 2016 the addition of Columbus, Ohio as the league's third team. [1] The selection of Columbus came as somewhat of a surprise, because the original PRO Rugby announcement in November 2015 did not mention that the competition planned to place a team in the midwest in the inaugural season. [2] Ohio's inaugural season home opener was played on May 1, 2016. [3] PRO Rugby revealed the team's nickname — the Ohio Aviators — on June 6, 2016, a reference to the Wright brothers who were from Ohio. [4]

10's return

On September 9, 2020, the Aviators announced on their Instagram page their return to participate in the World Tens Series, occurring from October 24 through November 7, 2020 in Bermuda. [5]

Stadium

The Aviators during the 2016 season played their home games at Memorial Park in Obetz, a suburb of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Aviators planned to move to Fortress Obetz, on the site of the former Columbus Motor Speedway, starting with the 2017 season. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

2016 roster

On December 20, 2016 all PRO Rugby players received notice their contracts will be terminated in 30 days if progress is not made towards resolving disputes between the league and USA Rugby. [11]

The squad for the 2016 PRO Rugby season: [12]

Ohio roster

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centers

Wingers

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped.

2016 coaching staff

PositionName
Head coach Flag of England.svg Paule Barford
Assistant coach Flag of South Africa.svg Paul Holmes
Assistant coach IRFU flag.svg Eamonn Hogan

Current players and staff

Current roster

The squad for the 2020 World Tens Series: [13]

Ohio roster

Forwards

Backs

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped.

Current coaching staff

PositionName
Head coachTaylor Howden
Assistant coach Kane Thompson
ManagerZach Stryffeler
Medical DirectorRichard Quincy
DirectorTom Rooney

[14]

World Tens Series

2020

Bermuda

DateOpponentVenueResult
October 25, 2020Phoenix Bermuda National Stadium Won, 26-0
October 25, 2020 Flag of the United States.svg Rhinos Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 0-12
October 25, 2020 Flag of England.svg London Royals Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 10-11
October 26, 2020 Flag of Singapore.svg Asia Pacific Dragons Bermuda National Stadium Won, 11–10
October 26, 2020 Flag of the United States.svg Miami Sun Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 10–11
November 2, 2020 Flag of the United States.svg Rhinos Bermuda National Stadium Won, 11–10
November 2, 2020Phoenix Bermuda National Stadium Won, 22–0
November 2, 2020 Flag of Singapore.svg Asia Pacific Dragons Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 16–20
November 3, 2020 Flag of England.svg London Royals Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 12–13
November 3, 2020 Flag of the United States.svg Miami Sun Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 17–17
November 3, 2020 Flag of South Africa.svg SX10 Bermuda National Stadium Won, 14–10
November 7, 2020
Quarterfinal
Flag of the United States.svg Miami Sun Bermuda National Stadium Won, 26–5
November 7, 2020
Semifinal
Flag of England.svg London Royals Bermuda National Stadium Won, 12–7
November 7, 2020
Final
Flag of South Africa.svg SX10 Bermuda National Stadium Lost, 14–21

Season summaries

C=Champions, R=Runners-up, W=Wooden Spoons
CompetitionGames
Played
Games
Won
Games
Drawn
Games
Lost
Ladder
Position
CRWCoachDetails
2016 PRO Rugby season 129032 / 5 Paule Barford 2016 Ohio Aviators season

Leading players

SeasonCaptainMost triesMost points
2016 Jamie Mackintosh Spike Davis (14) Shaun Davies (84)

Coaches

CoachTenureMatchesWonDrawnLostWinning Percentage
Paule Barford 20161290375%
Taylor Howden2020–present1470750%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus, Ohio</span> Capital and largest city of Ohio, United States

Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 14th-largest city in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obetz, Ohio</span> Village in Ohio, United States

Obetz is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,489 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Crew</span> Soccer club in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The team is currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family and former team physician Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in club history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Crew Stadium</span> Soccer Stadium in Columbus, Ohio

Historic Crew Stadium, previously known as Columbus Crew Stadium and Mapfre Stadium, is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It primarily served as the home stadium of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer from 1999 until 2021, when the team moved to Lower.com Field. The Historic Crew Stadium is the current home of the Crew's training facility, the OhioHealth Performance Center and MLS Next Pro team Columbus Crew 2. Historic Crew Stadium is also the site of a variety of additional events in amateur and professional soccer, American football, lacrosse, and rugby, and is a regular site for outdoor concerts due to the permanent stage in the north end zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Stadium</span> Football stadium on the campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio

Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement ceremonies each May. Common nicknames for the stadium include "the Horseshoe", "the Shoe", and "the House That Harley Built".

The Columbus Motor Speedway (CMS) was a 1/3 mile asphalt oval and figure-eight racing track located south of Columbus, Ohio within the town limits of Obetz.

Sports in Georgia include professional teams, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports.

Roland Suniula is an American international rugby union player who plays for the Austin Elite as a centre in Major League Rugby (MLR).

The culture of Columbus, Ohio, is particularly known for museums, performing arts, sporting events, seasonal fairs and festivals, and architecture of various styles from Greek Revival to modern architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Machine</span>

The Ohio Machine were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Obetz, Ohio. They first played in the 2012 MLL season and continued through the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Ohio</span>

Ohio is home to many professional and college sports teams. The metropolitan areas of Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus are home to major league professional sports teams in baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PRO Rugby</span>

The Professional Rugby Organization, known as PRO Rugby, was an American professional rugby union competition. PRO began play in April 2016 with five teams and ceased operations by January 2017. The competition was sanctioned by USA Rugby and by World Rugby. This was the first professional rugby competition in North America.

The 2016 Ohio Aviators season was the first in the club's history. Coached by Paule Barford and captained by Jamie Mackintosh, Ohio competed in the United States 2016 PRO Rugby competition.

Memorial Park is located in Obetz, Ohio and stretches between the Obetz Government Center and the Street department building, which is at the western end of Orchard Lane. The Obetz Athletic Club is located in Memorial Park. Memorial Park is also home to the village's annual Zucchinifest.

The 2017 Major League Lacrosse season was the 17th season of Major League Lacrosse. Featuring the same nine teams as 2016, the season began on April 22. All four games played on opening weekend were won by the road team and decided by one goal, two in overtime. The season culminated in the championship game on August 19 in Frisco, Texas at The Ford Center at The Star. In a rematch of the 2016 championship game, the Ohio Machine defeated the Denver Outlaws 17–12, capturing their first Steinfeld Cup in franchise history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortress Obetz</span>

FortressObetz is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex in Obetz, Ohio. Its bleacher system holds 6,500 people. Including standing room for events such as concerts, Fortress Obetz can hold nearly 20,000 people. It opened in 2017 on the site of the former Columbus Motor Speedway and hosted the 2020 Ohio High School Football Championship games.

The 2017 Ohio Machine season was the sixth season for the Ohio Machine of Major League Lacrosse. The Machine entered trying to continue their success from 2016 when they finished with an 8-6 record, good enough for the top postseason seed following tiebreaker procedures. However, the top seed did not guarantee them a championship win, as they lost in the 2016 Steinfeld Cup 19-18 to the Denver Outlaws. After defeating the Florida Launch in the semifinal game on August 12, the Machine captured their first title in franchise history with a 17-12 victory over the same Denver Outlaws.

Dylan Fawsitt is an Irish-born American rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Rugby New York (Ironworkers) in Major League Rugby (MLR) and also for the United States men's national team. His nickname is "The Butcher".

Peter Malcolm is an American rugby union player who plays hooker for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby (MLR) and the United States men's national team.

References

  1. "Ohio Gains PRO Rugby Team", This Is American Rugby, February 9, 2016.
  2. "PRO Rugby Launches First Professional League in North America" Archived 2015-11-12 at the Wayback Machine , USA Rugby, November 9, 2015.
  3. "Rugby | New team offers speed, power, blood", Columbus Dispatch, Bill Rabinowitz, April 15, 2016.
  4. "PRO Rugby Unveils Team Names", This Is American Rugby, June 6, 2016.
  5. , Ohio Aviators Instagram, September 9, 2020.
  6. "Ohio Aviators trying to grow regional fan base", The Columbus Dispatch, Adam Jardy, July 3, 2016.
  7. Weese, Evan (November 18, 2016). "Obetz building 6,500-seat sports and concert venue". Columbus Business First. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  8. Perry, Kimball (November 16, 2016). "Obetz to build 6,500-seat stadium for pro sports teams". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  9. Widman Neese, Alissa (November 17, 2016). "Obetz says lacrosse stadium eventually will pay for itself". Columbus Dispatch . Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  10. "Multi-Use Athletic Stadium To Take Place Of Columbus Motor Speedway". Columbus, Ohio: WOSU Public Media. The Associated Press Ohio. November 17, 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  11. Down Goes PRO
  12. "PRO Rugby Preview – Ohio". Americas Rugby News. Americas Rugby News. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  13. "Ohio Aviators - Team Roster". Ohio Aviators. Ohio Aviators. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  14. "Round One of World Tens". worldtens.com. October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.