On-field success is not new for the rugby team as recent program highlights include:��

• 2024 Division 1 7’s National Champion��
• 2024 7’s Regular Season Record 15 Wins – 1 Loss – 2 Ties
• 2023 Division 1 15’s National Runner Up��
• 2022 Division 1 15’s National Runner Up
• Mid-American Conference Champions (5 seasons in a row)
  • Spring 2022 – 7’s
  • Fall 2023 – 15’s
  • Spring 2023 – 7’s
  • Fall 2023 – 15’s
  • Spring 2024 – 7’s
• 2024 Oak Leaf 7’s Tournament Cup Champions
• 2024 Notre Dame CRC 7’s Open Cup Champions
• 2024 MTSU CRC 7’s Tournament 3rd Place
• Several players selected to represent UofL in regional, national, and international contests

Justin Peterson, director of campus recreation, says the team’s notable achievements on the field have led to a surge in recruitment, attracting a growing number of prospective Cardinals.

“Presently, the incoming freshman class for the fall of 2024 stands at 23. Additionally, a number of transfer students have pledged their commitment to join the team, further enhancing its talent pool,” he said.��

The club is considering entering its reserve (B-Side) team into the Division 2 National Conference. This potential move positions UofL as the first institution in the nation to field both its A and B teams at the national level. Additional discussions are ongoing about establishing a women’s club team, as several players have expressed interest in transferring to UofL.����

“The men’s Rugby Club at the University of Louisville continues to redefine excellence in collegiate rugby, as proven in their recent triumph as the 2024 Division 1 7’s National Champions,” Peterson said. “Their remarkable on-field success reflects the team’s dedication and commitment to the UofL community.”

Read more about UofL’s win on the��.��

Read more about how Sports Club teams shape student success at UofL.��

The director of Intramural and Recreational Sports recently announced his retirement and will hang up his whistle on Nov. 1. He takes with him a treasure chest of memories, most of which he still remembers with vivid detail, and leaves behind a legacy rarely duplicated by today’s job-hop-happy workforce.

The beginnings of that legacy could be considered a bit serendipitous. Ramsay grew up in a small town in New Hampshire over 900 miles away, and attended Keene State College, which had about 2,000 students at the time. He received his physical education degree and thought he was going to teach PE and coach basketball for a living after graduation.

“Then my senior year, one of my professors called me and said there was an opportunity in Louisville working in the intramural department. I didn’t really know what intramurals was because we didn’t have much at Keene,” he said.

He interviewed over the phone anyway with Dr. Ellis Mendelsohn, who had been UofL’s intramurals director for 41 years, and then agreed to visit campus.

“I came for an interview during Derby week and, as a 22-year-old, I’m like ‘sign me up,’” he joked.

Upon his arrival at UofL, Ramsay became a graduate assistant for two years, then received his graduate degree and became assistant director of intramural sports. The next year, Harold Adams, whom Ramsay calls the “patriarch of student affairs,” made him director. He was 26.

“Mendy [Mendelsohn] was sick and [Adams] knew I’d take care of Mendy,” he said.

Ramsay also earned a faculty appointment, which he held for 34 years teaching sports administration and sports officiating. Over time, he took on additional duties, like managing spirit groups – cheerleaders, mascots and Lady Birds – and student activities. At some point within the past 41 years, he also took on the facilitation of UofL’s free speech policy.

“UofL Had no policy and we had [author/activist] Sister Souljah speak on campus. The local head of the KKK took offense to her speaking and thought he should also be able to speak. They came to me to enforce a free speech policy because they knew I’d make sure people would follow the rules. Also, with my refereeing experience, conflict management was in my wheelhouse,” Ramsay said. “I definitely learned a lot. My point of pride is that we’ve never been sued. We’ve been threatened to be sued a lot, but we’ve never been sued.”

All of these roles have embedded some interesting stories in his memory – about the day Brother Jeb and Brother Rick and “what seemed like a spaceship full of street preachers” descended on campus. Stories about students starting a dumpster fire at 3 a.m. while camping out for football tickets. Stories about a beer keg falling out of the back of a truck while heading to work at the Ball of the Belle. [Ramsay and his fellow Cardinals were able to recover the keg].

He has also created deep relationships throughout his time here. He calls George Howe, who retired last year after 50 years on campus, his best friend, for example.

“I met my wife because of George,” Ramsay said.

Howe also used to be Ramsay’s boss until Ramsay was named director and then became Howe’s boss.

“I learned humility from George. He told me – I’ll always remember this – if you’re in a place long enough, one of your students is probably going to come back and be your boss,” Ramsay said.

As it so happens, Ramsay met Michael Mardis, now dean of Students and VP of Student Affairs, when he was just 17. At the time, Mardis worked for Ramsay as an intramural coordinator. Ramsay now works for Mardis.

In total, Ramsay has worked for six presidents at UofL, six vice presidents and 11 associate vice presidents. But he doesn’t just remember stories about his bosses or his experiences. He’s had hundreds of students work for him, including 14 employees whose parents also worked for him, and he especially remembers those stories.

“I had one kid who worked in a factory and wanted to be a teacher and he just needed someone to give him a break. I believe education is the great equalizer, so I hired him. Now he’s a principal,” Ramsay said. “I had a law student who graduated near the top of his class. He was at UofL for seven years and he wanted to win a t-shirt from intramurals, but he was athletically challenged. That kid had everything going for him and is now an FBI agent, but I’ll never forget how excited he was when he finally got his t-shirt. That’s what all of this is about for me – those connections. The student connections are what has kept me here so long.”

UofL gave Dr. Mendelsohn a chair to mark his four decades of service and Ramsay still has “Mendy’s” chair in his office to remember the lessons he learned from his former mentor. He plans on keeping it there for whomever moves into his office next – a striking reminder of the legacies built by both of them.

In the meantime, he doesn’t plan on being a stranger to UofL and just may visit every now and then. First, however, he plans to enjoy his retirement after recently overcoming a battle with colon cancer. He’s been cancer-free now for 18 months.

“Everybody has a last day. I’m lucky enough to pick mine,” Ramsay said. “And I’ve got a great story to tell.”