SDU Men's Rugby Team 1952

Rugby was a mainstay of Island University and College athletics for more than 50 years, and the 1952 St. Dunstan’s squad stands unparalleled in that remarkable history.

Starring the fabled Jack Reardon, and coached by A.J. MacAdam and John Eldon Green, the 1952 team outscored its opponents 73–7, and compiled a 5–1 record. In the League finals, the Saints defeated Mount Allison 4–0 in a hard-fought game on the Mount A. field. Reardon scored all four points, and capped things off by tackling a Mount Allison player—who appeared to be headed for a score—to end the game.

The St. Dunstan’s squad then headed for Antigonish to play the fearsome St. Francis Xavier X-Men, who were undefeated in two years, and hadn’t lost at home in fourteen. The Saints prevailed in a wild game, ending both St. F. X. streaks, and capturing the championship. The team had a number of stars, including Reardon, Paul Jay, and (later to be Father) Charlie Cheverie.

The team not only won the Maritime Intercollegiate Championship, but also the McCurdy Cup, awarded to the winner between the Collegiate Championship and the Senior Champions. 

Accepting the award were Clair Callaghan, Charlie Cheverie, Bernie Driscoll (wife of the late Fred Driscoll), Paul Jay’s brother, Clarence MacDonald, Gerard Wynne (brother-in-law of Dr. Cyril MacIsaac), Rodney McInnis, Clair Duffy (cousin of Ronald McIver), John Mullally, Father Arthur Pendergast, Jack Reardon, Ethel MacAdam (wife of the late A.J. MacAdam, Coach), and John Eldon Green, Assistant Coach. Those not able to be there included the late Phil Coyle, the late Peter Dunphy, the late Lloyd Gaudet, Allan MacDonald, Dr. Cyril MacIsaac, Dr. Robert Mooney, Joseph Mullally, and Simeon Farmer (Manager).