QCRFC was conceived by Ron Creager and Greg Seals in a Mount Adams bar during the Winter of 1973-74.  Over that winter Ron was very busy recruiting for the new club and has since admitted to twisting the truth a bit about how many players had actually "signed up."  He was so successful that the four players who attended the first practice session of the 1974 Spring Season thought they would have their work cut out for them just to make the "C" side! However, once these four realized they were the basis of the first XV they sustained their hopes of a junior team in Cincinnati with six weeks of two-a-side training games.  With the help of a fictitious newspaper article and some luck, a contingent of seasoned transients and curious rookies made up the First XV and the Green and Black was born.

From that inauspicious beginning QCRFC grew steadily throughout the 70's and 80's.  The club was strengthened considerably when players from the defunct Westside RFC (another Cincinnati junior side) joined the fold in the mid-eighties.  During the late 80's QCRFC won the Ohio Junior Cup twice and finished third in the 1989 Midwest Junior Cup.  The team also experienced success in the 90's with appearances in the Midwest Tournament in 1993,1994, and 1995, and became the first team to win the newly established Southern Ohio Div. II Rugby league in 1994. With the restructuring of the Midwest Union to 3 divisions, QCRFC elected to stay in the newly developed and much more competitive Division II. QCRFC struggled early, fighting through personnel turnover in an increasingly competitive environment. Thing began to turn around as the club entered the new millennium, progressing to regular appearances in the Midwest Div. II championships, culminating in a top 8 Midwest ranking in 2004. The last couple of years has seen some regression due to a series of player promotions to Div. I and retirements of experienced players. This has led to QCRFC being moved back down to Div. III for 2007, playing in the Southern Division. However, the new, young squad has gained a tremendous amount of experience, which should help QCRFC move back to the upper levels of Midwest Rugby in a short period of time.

Touring has always been very close to the hearts of QCRFC players.  In fact, by 1975 the club was already playing on foreign soil (OK, Windsor, Canada isn't exactly overseas but you have to start somewhere...).  In the late 70's the infamous "Williebago Tours" (named after Willie Landrigan, who would rent the Winnebago and rely on contacts with Princeton alumni lawyers to keep the team out of jail) began with five consecutive trips to the Mardi Gras Tournament in New Orleans. There is still much debate as to whether QCRFC actually put 15 players on a field or just went from bar to bar on Bourbon St.  The first August jaunt to the Atlantic Cup in Rehoboth Beach was also made in the 70's.

Finally, after hosting two Irish touring sides (University College of Dublin and Aer Lingus RFC), QCRFC took the plunge to go overseas in 1989, when a party of 19 players toured the Emerald Isle.  This was a highly successful event, with the team returning to the U.S. with 3 wins and 1 loss.  Australia was undertaken by a small QCRFC touring party in 1992.  While this tour was immensely successful off the field, the opposition was considerable stronger than faced in Ireland and we returned home winless.  QCRFC then rebounded with a highly successful England tour in 1993, hosted by Rolls Royce RFC of Derby (whom QCRFC hosted on their 1992 US Tour).  35 players made the tour, which saw the QCRFC "A" side come away with a 2-1-1 record.  In 1995, QCRFC returned to Ireland in 1995 and again posted a 3-1 record.  Wales was next, where a small, undermanned touring side of 18 players posted an 0-3 record vs. strong Welsh competition.  The next tour was in 2000, when a stronger QCRFC side invaded Spain, posting a 2-2 record.  After a few years off, QCRFC leapt back into touring mode with a domestic tour of Texas. Playing clubs in Corpus Christi and Houston, QCRFC managed to post a 1-2 record.

QCRFC returned to the role of host in the Spring of 2004, playing host to Usk RFC from Usk, Wales. The clubs played to an 18-18 tie, and shared some great times (details withheld to protect the innocent) off the pitch. The latest tour was just completed in August of 2007 as a new generation of QCRFC players (along with a few grizzled veterans) made the foray south of the border to Costa Rica, posting a 1-2 record.

So for those of you in foreign lands, regardless of location, keep an eye out for us. You never know when or where we’ll show up…