2006 - 1976 Sundevils 30 Year Reunion
It was 1976, the year Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs founded Apple Computer. Kiss performed their first concert and the Sex Pistols were labelled ‘rotten punks’ for using profanity during a live television performance in Britain. It was also the year that the Sundevils rugby team travelled on their first tour to the UK.
On Friday, May 12, 2006 at South Delta Secondary School, the 1976 UK touring rugby side reunited, laced up their boots and took on the current SDSS Senior Rugby squad in the 17th annual ‘Old Boys’ alumni rugby game. Each year former students who played Sundevils rugby are invited to challenge the current school team to a match and renew old friendships. This year 19 of the 21 players from the 1976 UK tour will be back, celebrating their 30th Reunion.
John Narbett, a former teacher at SDSS and the godfather of the Sundevils rugby program will come out of retirement to coach the 1976 rugby squad. Charlie Minns, Head Coach of the Sundevils Senior Rugby team has experienced all 17 games: "It's old versus young, bald versus hairy and pot bellies versus flat bellies. It's going to be a great event this year.''
Ironically, Sundevils junior coach and organizer David Blackwell is further proof that rugby relationships are lasting. Blackwell played for his school team in England against the Sundevils 1976 touring team! He now lives in South Delta and his two sons, Will and Alex, attend SDSS and are members of the current Sundevils team.
The SDSS Tour of the U.K. helped establish a foundation for rugby at SDSS and the sport is ‘alive and well’, 30 years later. Currently, the SDSS Sundevils rugby program consist of four full sides and a number of these teams are play-off bound. There is a Grade 8 team, two junior teams, composed of grade 9 and 10 students and a senior boy’s team, made up of grade 11 and 12 students. Between the three teams, over 100 students participated in the rugby program at SDSS in 2007.
The SDSS annual ‘Old Boys’ alumni game celebrates our friendships, our school, our sport and our community. We welcome the community to come out and watch this annual match up and challenge all Sundevil rugby alumni to brush off their boots and put on the old school jersey.
