May 9, 2005

2005 Spring Alumni Game Update

It’s safe to say that another outstanding weekend was enjoyed by all who were touched by the event! As always, it started with 90 golfers playing on a spectacular sunny day in the Capital Region (one of less than 60 over the course of a year)! This is evidence that prayer does have an impact! A special thanks to all the golfers who, through their generosity, raised over $7,000!

Joe McCrudden engineered a first-class event for the 4th consecutive year. His commitment to excellence is evident given that every detail is timed to perfection. While all attendees had a great day, Kevin Murphy may have had his finest hour winning, what seemed to be, 80% of the prizes ~ most noticeably Super Bowl tickets!

The evening then moved to The Ruck. While we would like to share with you the details of the evening, the event became a bit fuzzy…from what we remember, a good time was had by all (or so we were told)!

Saturday was an event-packed day opening with our traditional mass by Father Kevin Tortorelli and con-celebrated by Fr. Kevin Mackin. After a quick brunch, we moved to the pitch where we saw a highly motivated senior Siena team defeat the alumni 22-14. It was apparent after a quick start to the alumni efforts that age became a defining factor. We look forward to the graduating seniors defecting next year to the alumni side…for those of you who have played in the backs, please mark your calendars for the first weekend in May 2006 (help will be needed).

After a great game, we had our traditional family barbecue, highlighted by the Magic Man Tom (aka Tarzan) Joyce ’85 adult magic show that just happened to have kids in the front row! This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award was Tony Leva in clear recognition of his many years of devotion as a player and coach.

Next year will mark the five-year anniversary of our dedication to Terence McShane ’86 and Michael Taddonio ’84. We have awarded scholarships to recipients for the past three years, purchased goal posts and pads for the team, and have given several thousands of dollars to local, Albany-based charities in the names of Terence and Michael as well as Siena Rugby. Please make sure you attend next year’s event – we will have a special dedication ceremony.

We will be eliminating the Snow Bowl this year and will attempt to play during Siena’s Hall of Fame Weekend on September 24th and 25th, 2005. More details will follow.

While we had a great turnout this year, there are still many memorable faces that need to prioritize this annual celebration of rugby and, most importantly, friendship. The relationships at this event have spanned a quarter of a century. You owe it to yourself to be a part of that.

In closing, we would like to recognize Nate Maloney and the entire Alumni Office for their continued support of our efforts.

We hope you and your families have a great summer and we’ll be touching base in the early fall.

Your Rugby Planning Committee