Amid friends, family and former students, “Old Maroon” returned to Penberthy Complex on Saturday, Oct. 12 for a friendly fundraising matchup against current Maroon and Grey side rugby team members, earning bragging rights with a 32-10 win.
The Old Maroon Tournament is an annual tradition that brings Maroon and Grey side alums back to campus to relive glory days and support the current A&M rugby teams. The sides separated into Maroon, wearing black and maroon jerseys, and Old Maroon, who sported maroon and white striped jerseys. Old Maroon is an alumni association for A&M Rugby Football Club that provides leadership and invests in the future of rugby.
This year’s Old Maroon side included some fresh graduates — recent teammates of the current Maroon side — while other members were graduates from the early 2010s.
“A couple of the players graduated last semester,” sport management sophomore Ian Linkerhof said. “They were part of this team last year, in this outfit, and now they are on the other side.”
The Maroon side started strong, putting five points on the board with an early try, but that didn’t stop Old Maroon from claiming back their former territory. Shortly after the Maroon side scored, Old Maroon struck back to even it out 5-5.
“These guys have been playing since I was in kindergarten,” Linkerhof said. “They have experience. These guys are way bigger than the current team — they were probably double my size and ready to play.”
Age was not a hindrance for Old Maroon, who led 17-10 by the second break. While the alum side was all smiles and making jokes with the referees, Maroon side, which did not include most of the current starting line-up, kept working to score. As an exhibition game, it’s an opportunity for newer players to have more time on the field, Linkerhof explained.
Old Maroon maintained the lead throughout the game, though passing on the opportunity to put extra points on the board with two missed conversions for a final of 32-10.
At the end of the match, the head referee called for the Maroon captain, which caused Old Maroon players to laugh and ask which maroon the refs were talking about.
“The Old Maroon side was head hard in physicality,” Linkerhof said. “That’s what wins games.”
The Maroon side will face Rice University on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Houston for regular season play. The Grey side will take on UTSA on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex. For start times and more match information, visit AggieRugby.com or follow @tamurugby on Instagram.
