A long and loyal legacy of generous philanthropy continues for California rugby in its 136th year of competition. Cal rugby recently received eight new endowments of $250,000 each, which, combined with its existing endowments, propel the program further into financial sustainability.
The new California Positional Rugby Endowments, which join another new $250,000 gift, the Sonsini Family Rugby Endowment funded by two generations of former players in Larry and his son Peter, are formally known as the following: The Donald W. James Jr. Rugby Prop Endowment, The Brian and John Frantz Rugby Prop Endowment, The Irving F. “Bud” Lyons III Rugby Hooker Endowment, The Robert J. Paylor Rugby Lock Endowment, The Capt. James P. DiMatteo Rugby Scrumhalf Endowment, The Steve Ellis Rugby Center Endowment, The Gregory J. Chenu Rugby Center Endowment, The Charles A. “Art” Mower Rugby Wing Endowment and The George C. Roeth Rugby Wing Endowment.
Rugby’s newest endowments continue a long legacy of donors’ generosity.
The Donald W. James Jr. Rugby Prop Endowment
The most accomplished alumnus from a rugby standpoint to join the Positional Endowment campaign is Don James Jr. Chief Executive Officer of James Properties, Land and Cattle LLC, and Rugby Partners Inc., James Jr. was two-sport student-athlete in gridiron football and rugby, a rugby All-American and national champion prop for the Bears from 1981−85. Following graduation, he attended Oxford University and started in the 1989 Varsity Match vs. Cambridge, and made nine international appearances on the U.S. National Team. A member of the California Rugby Advisory Board (CRAB), James was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
“It was the most significant time in my life that has affected the balance of my life since,” James said of his experience as a Rugby Bear. “I feel very fortunate to be have had enough success to be able to contribute back with a group of others. The ethos instilled in me by Cal rugby made it possible for me to do something along these lines.”
The Brian and John Frantz Rugby Prop Endowment
John Frantz was a rugby prop and gridiron football center for the Golden Bears in the mid-1960s, when head football coach Ray Willsey encouraged his players to compete in both sports just as he did. Receiving his degree in Business Administration from the University in 1968, John Frantz went on to a successful career in commercial real estate, continuing to attend Cal games with friends and family including nephew Brian Frantz, who followed in his uncle’s footsteps as a future Rugby Bear.
“When Brian went to Cal I told him he had to play rugby and I believe he had an equally great time,” John Frantz said. “Endowing a prop position that we both played holds a very special place in our hearts.”
Brian Frantz was a prop on four straight national championship teams at Cal and got his degree in Integrative Biology in 1995. Now the Chief Operating Officer of Surf to Snow Environmental Resource Management, he called the endowment they have created “our opportunity to pay it forward, considering the gratitude we have for what Cal rugby instilled in us.”
The Irving F. “Bud” Lyons III Rugby Hooker Endowment
CRAB chairman Bud Lyons joined the Positional Endowment campaign in honor of his rugby positon of hooker. Lyons wore the No. 2 jersey on the 1971 Cal rugby team that went on tour to Australia and New Zealand, and returned stateside as one of the best teams in the history of the program.
Lyons is a current Trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation and recognized as a Builder of Berkeley for his long-term philanthropic giving to the University. A Principal at Lyons Asset Management, he earned an MBA from Stanford after receiving a degree from Cal in Industrial Engineering. Lyons said of the motivation to join the campaign: “Cal rugby is a model of sustainability, not just on the field where championships are won, but in consistently producing well-prepared productive citizens that will make a positive contribution to our world. Those that benefited from our predecessors should do the same for the next generation. The torch was passed to me and I’m going to pass it on to somebody else. That’s how we’re all going to thrive. ”
The Robert J. Paylor Rugby Lock Endowment
Among the generations of Golden Bears who have worn the Blue and Gold and represented their University, the most inspirational figure in the history of Cal rugby could be 21-year-old Robert Paylor. As a sophomore lock, he was seriously injured on May 6, 2017, in the Varsity Cup National 15s Championship. A Scholar Athlete at Cal who has courageously fought to rehabilitate his body after suffering paralysis from the chest down, Paylor has demonstrated the essence of Cal rugby’s ethos in pursuit of his recovery with the kind of dedication and humility that defines the team mindset of “grateful for everything, entitled to nothing.”
In honor of his name and position, The Robert J. Paylor Rugby Lock Endowment has been created with a gift from CRAB board member Byron Deeter. A starting front-row player and national champion for the Bears from 1993−96, graduating with a degree in Political Economy, Deeter is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, founder of Trigo and a member of 12 different company boards. Forbes Magazine, which named him to its 2017 Midas List, said that Deeter “has backed more cloud IPOs than any other investor.”
“Robert will always have a place among those 15,” said Deeter of Paylor’s presence as a Positional Endowment at the lock position. “Like many others, I have been inspired by him. Reflecting on what Cal rugby meant to me, its impact on making me the person I am now, the budgetary challenges of the University and the goals of the program, I was moved to make this gift.
‘It’s rare that a program has anything close to this level of success and continuity. Jack and his staff are not producing rugby players, they’re producing leaders, contributing members of society and college graduates,’ added Deeter, who met his future wife, Alli, on their first day of classes on campus. ‘What motivates Alli and me to do this now, earlier than we probably ordinarily would, is the knowledge that we know it will be used well.’
The Capt. James P. DiMatteo Rugby Scrumhalf Endowment
Even by the program’s high standards, few Cal rugby alumni have thrived after graduation like retired Top Gun Commander Capt. Jim DiMatteo, who served his country for 27 years as a Navy Captain after graduating from Cal in 1985 with his degree in Civil Engineering. On the pitch as a Rugby Bear, DiMatteo played scrumhalf for the Blue and Gold from 1982−85 as Cal won national collegiate championships three times. Currently the Director of Aviation for Breitling and Race Director for Red Bull Air Race, DiMatteo said of his Cal experience: ‘It taught me a lot about rugby and even more about life. The work ethic that is required to be a champion, the importance of being a good teammate, the importance of preparation, both mentally and physically, and those honest debriefings of my performance and the team’s performance — all of those traits, I used in my professional career as a Navy fighter pilot.’
DiMatteo, whose wife, Kathy, is also a Cal graduate with her degree in Business Administration, called it ‘my responsibility and really a privilege to give back, hopefully to have the same nurturing impact on others that I experienced. I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Top Gun is the best of the best — that’s actually its motto — and to have been able to be part of an athletic team that really was the best of the best, it is the Top Gun of rugby. That was an unbelievably fortunate situation for me and it’s my responsibility to give back. Cal rugby was a significant catalyst in letting me achieve what I did from a professional fighter pilot’s perspective. This is a privilege to be part of significant donations that are going to allow future generations to have the incredible experience that shapes their lives like it shaped ours. To be able to be part of that group that helps the program achieve that is emotionally fulfilling.’
The Steve Ellis Rugby Center Endowment
Continuing down the proverbial backline of the campaign, Steve Ellis was an All-America center and national champion who played for the Bears from 1981−85. A CRAB board member and managing partner of TPG Capital, a private equity and venture capital firm, Ellis holds degrees in Economics and History from Cal, which he followed with an MBA from Stanford. He is also the former CEO of Asurion, Worldwide; former Managing Director and CEO of Bain & Company; co-founder of Focus; and board member at Charles Schwab and Bridgespan Group.
Amid those achievements, Ellis said he considers the 1985 championship season, coach Clark’s first at the helm, as ‘really the defining experience for me both professionally and personally. It certainly ranks up there with the birth of my children and probably exceeds anything I’ve done in my professional life in many respects. My Cal rugby experience gave me the permission to dream big and shoot for big things in my career. It created an important arc in my endeavors beyond Cal.’
Of his gift, Ellis added, ‘It is our responsibility, as it was for those before us who had the capacity to support the program. In light of all the public pressures that the athletic department is under and the campus more broadly as it relates to the funding of athletics, now is as important a time as any in the history of the program to galvanize the support of those who’ve benefited from the program over time. I would encourage anyone with an association with the program to think hard about ways to support it.’
The George C. Roeth Rugby Wing Endowment
George Roeth played wing on three national championship teams under head coach Ned Anderson from 1981−83, assisted by Jack Clark in 1982−83, and earned a degree in Business Administration from the University that was followed by an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His father, John, received the same Cal degree in 1949. Married to fellow Cal alumna Kristin Roeth, George has served as Chief Operating Officer for Clorox’s Lifestyle, Household and Global Operating Functions; Chairman of the Board for Clorox and Procter & Gamble Glad Products Joint Venture; and advisory board member at Gryphon Investors. He currently serves as president and CEO of Central Garden and Pet Company.
‘Of all the things I learned from Cal rugby, the importance of teamwork stands out the most,’ Roeth said. ‘As alumni, we realize that we benefitted from others who gave back, perhaps more so now than we imagined at the time. It is important that we carry on the tradition. I loved playing wing and to identify my gift as coming from a winger makes it all the more special.’
The Charles A. ‘Art’ Mower Rugby Wing Endowment
The other wing slot in the Positional Endowment campaign has been taken in memory of Charles ‘Art’ Mower, who played for head coach Miles ‘Doc’ Hudson from 1947−49 on teams that included teammates such as Jim ‘Truck’ Cullom and William Witter. It was an era in which the Golden Bears faced off with the University of British Columbia four times each season in the famed ‘World Cup’ series, and Mower was an impactful player against the Thunderbirds, connecting on a legendary drop goal to tie the score in his last clash with UBC in the spring of ’49.
Mower, who also played varsity basketball at Cal, received a degree in Business Administration in 1949 and became a stockbroker in the Sacramento office of Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley, where he was office mates and friends with the late Bob Witter, architect of the Witter Rugby Endowment. Mower retired from the business in 2003. “Teamwork, loyalty and perseverance were life-long lessons Art learned playing Cal rugby, traits that were reflected in his character,” said Ann Mower, married to Mr. Mower for 66 years until his death on December 30, 2016, at the age of 91. “Art credited his personal and professional success to the values learned as a member of the rugby team.”
The Gregory J. Chenu Center Endowment
The new Positional Endowments join a previously existing endowment still open for donations, the Gregory J. Chenu Center Endowment, created in 2003 to honor the memory of the 1991 Cal captain who died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 34.
The Sonsini Family Rugby Team Endowment
Larry Sonsini was a gridiron footballer and rugby student-athlete at Cal, where he earned a BA in Political Science before obtaining his law degree in 1966. His son Peter was a national champion Rugby Bear from 1986−90, graduating Cal with a degree in Political Economy before earning an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. They have given back as a family to the future of the program with the Sonsini Family Rugby Team Endowment.
“Our experiences playing Cal rugby, from Doc Hudson to Jack Clark, exemplified the importance of character, commitment, spirit and teamwork in all walks of life,” said Larry Sonsini. “Our endowment is committed to maintaining Cal rugby for the future so that others will benefit from its great traditions and teachings.”
A Builder of Berkeley for his lifetime giving to the University, the elder Sonsini is the senior and founding Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. Peter Sonsini, a member of the CRAB advisory board and one of three Sonsini children to obtain degrees from Cal, is the General Partner at New Enterprise Associates, one of world’s largest venture capital firms.
History of Philanthropy from the Rugby Community
These endowments continue a long history of former players, family and friends of Cal rugby generously giving back to the University and the program. Cal rugby has always been and continues to be self-supporting, with no financial support from Intercollegiate Athletics.
Over the years, rugby alumni have funded the construction of the multi-million-dollar Witter Rugby Field and the million-dollar Doc Hudson Fieldhouse, and have substantially contributed to the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance, including the Bud and Mary Lyons Rugby Locker Room, along with many other University programs. Additionally, alumni have maintained a robust annual funding of the program, raising on average several hundred thousand dollars a year for the team’s annual account, as well as approximately $10 million in long-term endowment funding, all of which combines to largely endow the sport on campus. These alumni also give broadly across Intercollegiate Athletics and the University.
The Witter Rugby Endowment, by far the largest of those already in existence, is joined by the already existing Brock Settlemier Memorial Fund for Rugby, the Ed “Mush” Graff Endowment, the Barbara and John “Jack” MacKenzie Rugby Endowment, the Kinglion Rugby Endowment Fund, the Jim “Truck” and Marty Cullom Rugby Endowment and the Miles “Doc” Hudson Rugby Endowment.
Today’s team trains and competes on Witter Rugby Field, a venue that came to exist on the strength of Cal rugby’s legacy of giving. The roll call of Witter family members, led by the lead naming gift from Robert (Bob) and Marilyn Witter, and listed on a plaque in Wise Plaza outside Doc Hudson Fieldhouse, also includes Thomas W. and Barbara, Wendell W. and Evelyn, William, Dean Witter III, Edwin D., Jane C., Malcolm, Phelps Jr., Richard and Evelyn, Robert W. Jr., Ronald K. and Mary Sue, Thomas K., Jack and Nancy Witter Bates, and Ann Witter-Gillette.
Bob Witter, a cousin to Tom Sr., helped to establish the California Rugby Advisory Board in 1990 as the sport became increasingly financially self-sustainable with dedicated facilities, breaking ground on construction for Witter Rugby Field in 1993 and hosting matches there since 1995. Bob Witter remained the patriarch of Cal rugby until his death in 2008.
The Witter family, now led by Robert Witter Jr., himself a Cal rugby back-rower and father whose son, David, was the most recent Rugby Bear to graduate in 2006, continues to provide vital ongoing financial support to the program.
Great Golden Bears have also made the program a beneficiary of their estates, as demonstrated by the late Stan Dzura, the football and rugby legend of the mid-“60s who made a seven-figure estate gift to Cal rugby following his passing in 2017.
"Our first major rugby giving campaign in 1985 was 'Cal Rugby Forever.” The success of that campaign inspired us to what we were capable of achieving,’ said head coach Jack Clark. ‘Cal rugby has positively contributed to many lives, including mine, and gratefully, many of these individuals and their families continue to pay these experiences forward generously. The current campaign of 'Every Man Pledges’ and the ‘Positional Endowments’ fit into the architecture of ‘The Next 100 Years’ campaign. Today’s and tomorrow’s Cal rugby teams have much to be thankful for. We stand on the shoulders of these generous alumni.”
Over 120 major donors helped to construct the Miles “Doc” Hudson Fieldhouse in 1996, to include former Chancellor and Nobel Laureate recipient Glenn T. Seaborg, after which Wise Plaza, named in honor of former Cal rugby great Dennis Wise, and the Jim “Truck” Cullom bench were dedicated in 1996 and ’97.
In 2010, as Intercollegiate Athletics faced the prospect of sport cuts, a large group of faithful rugby stakeholders advocated for rugby’s retention in Intercollegiate Athletics with the funding of a multi-million-dollar term endowment.
In February of 2011, Cal rugby reached an agreement with the University and IA as part of the sport’s retention to take on additional, indirect expenses associated with the program and also to fund $1.5 million over a 10-year period into women’s gymnastics and lacrosse to assist their retention as Intercollegiate sports. As a result of those actions in 2012 a Memorandum of Understanding was executed with UC that secured rugby’s status as a varsity sport.
