Today the Hoonyaks compete at the Division 1A level in both the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) and National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), playing fifteens in the fall and sevens in the spring.
A History of Competition
Some of Michigan State's oldest rivalries go back to the club's earliest years. Newspaper records from the 1960s document matches against the University of Michigan, including play for the Steeby Trophy. That rivalry lives on today in the Battle for the Mitten.
In fall 2023, the Hoonyaks won the Big Ten East Division Championship, going 3–0 in divisional play. They reached the Big Ten Championship Final against Indiana and finished the season ranked No. 20 nationally in the USA CRAA National Committee Poll.
Built by Its Players
Michigan State Rugby has always been student-run. Players organize the club, plan travel, raise funds, and recruit the next class. That independence has shaped a culture built on accountability and leadership, and the friendships formed on long road trips and in hard-fought wins tend to last for decades.
Many of our players had never touched a rugby ball before arriving in East Lansing. They came from football, wrestling, soccer, and track, and found a sport with a place for all of them.
The Old Boys
The club belongs just as much to its alumni as to its current players. Known as the Old Boys, former Hoonyaks keep the club's stories and traditions alive and stay connected long after graduation. Each new team inherits a program built by the ones before it and is responsible for handing it on stronger.
Established in 1965. Built by its players. United by the green and white.Go Green. Go Hoonyaks.