Richard Battock, Col, USAF
Richard "Dick" Battock was born on September 13, 1935 in Denver, Colorado. After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1957, he attended St. Louis University Dental School where he received his D.D.S. degree in 1960. Upon graduation, he took a commission in the U.S. Air Force where he served as a dentist for 30 years, retiring as a full colonel in 1990. He honorably served at Tainan AS (Taiwan), Athenai Airport (Greece), Castle AFB (CA), Nakhon Phanom (Thailand). At that time he became involved with the American Red Cross teaching CPR and first-aid classes and was also a substitute teacher working in the Tanque Verde School District. In addition to his stateside postings in California, Indiana, Illinois, and Arizona, his postings took him to Taiwan, Greece, Thailand, Spain, and England. While on his tour in England, Dick became very involved in the sport of rugby, which became his passion in life. After settling in Tucson, he helped establish the Davis-Monthan Mandrills Rugby Football Club. He was also involved with the US Armed Services Combined rugby team and led them on tours of England, Australia and Germany. He then was the President of the Old Pueblo Rugby Football Club and also helped establish the high school rugby program in Tucson. He passed away at the age of 70 on December 30, 2005 from complications of brain cancer
... "I've done a lot of other stuff, but the bottom line is that rugby is a players game and everything I've done has been geared to make it enjoyable for all who participate in it"
Player
1958-1960 - St. Louis University, St Louis, MO
1977-1979 - Bicester RFC, England 2-4 XV
1979-1984 - Scott AFB, IL
1984-1988 - Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
1988-retirement - Occasional with Old Pueblo Lions, Old Southwest and Red Rock Roaches
Coach
1977-1984 - Scott AFB, IL
1984-1990 - Davis-Monthan AFB AZ
1998-1999 - Old Pueblo Lions, AZ
1999-2000 - Assistant Coach, US Air Force Select Side
Referee
1979 - Oxfordshire Referees Society, England, C-3
1983-1984 - Missouri Referee Society, C-2
1987-1993 - Arizona Referee Society, C-2
Administration
1979 - Founder and first president, Scott AFB RFC, IL
1980 - One of the original members of the Combined Services Committee
1980 - 1984 - Director of Air Force Rugby
1984-1991 - Chairman, Combined Services Committee, USA Rugby Football Union and served on USARFU Board as such, as well as Pacific Coast Representative
1988 - President, Arizona Rugby Union
1999 - ? - President, Old Pueblo Lions RFC, Tucson AZ
Tours
1984 - Organized and managed the first Combined Services Tour to England
1986 - Organized Combined Services tour to England
1988 - Organized Combined Services tour to Germany/England
1989 - Organized and managed Air Force Selects tour to Japan and Korea
1990 - Organized and fund raised for the Combined Services tour to Australia
Eulogy
We all loved Dick as our brother. Such is the way of our game, but it was certainly more with Dick. It is true, he never made an enemy, was kind yet persistent, reliable and straightforward. A man you could trust with your life, to do the right thing. As I was searching for tidbits to share, I reviewed the minutes of past Combined Services Committee meetings and see Dick and others were always there, contributing to the mundane details associated with startups, so that players could play, referees could ref, and teams would become teams. We spent hours discussing the virtues of players we evaluated, sharing of visions of what the Combined Services should all be about, going over the details (again) for new administrators, and over beer(s) commenting how lucky we were to have capable comrades from all walks of life who wanted the same thing for 'our boys'. I reviewed a film of him giving a gift of an American flag flown over the capitol to a Japanese General (graciously received), and both enjoying the party after.... Our military rugby organization would not have gotten to where we are today without him. Pure and simple. We will miss him.
The 'grateful nation' phrase his wife Genelle heard when given the flag from his coffin, includes a nation of military and civilian rugby players who never would have taken the field had is not been for Dick. And as I now reflect, let's make that many nations whose rugby players had the fortune of playing a US Service team, a situation that would not have occurred without the contributions of our own Dick Battock.
God rest his soul.
...Harry Laws
