Additional Ft Sill History
The Gunners are well known throughout the Army and other rugby circles for bringing together both local and military talent and fielding teams of unlimited potential. Fort Sill, being the home of artillery, has a long-standing tradition of attracting former college athletes from many universities who have tested their skills on the rugby pitch. Being a training post, many of these athletes move on to play for other programs on or near other bases throughout the world. This turnover has greatly helped the growth of military rugby however it has often ravaged the rosters of the Fort Sill program. Recently, deployments have also negatively impacted player participation; however we have always found ways of rising from the ashes and coming together to play again.
In the Spring of 2003, following the initial deployment of III Armored Corps Artillery, the Officer Basic Course Class #05-03 longed for an opportunity to play rugby while stationed at Fort Sill. Knowing that a powerful rugby program once existed on base, the young officers decided that a temporary program be founded and stood-up until the actual Fort Sill Rugby Club administration returned from Iraq. This temporary program was called the Red Rockets Rugby Football Club. The Red Rockets started out with only 17 players, only 5 of whom had actually played the sport before. Under this new banner the Fort Sill Red Rockets played 2 games and finished with a record of 1-1. Weeks later, when it was discovered that the actual Gunners administration would return to post, the Rockets then transformed back into the Fort Sill Rugby Club. The Red Rockets RFC continues to be a symbol of significant meaning to Fort Sill Rugby. To honor the spirit of those 17 ruggers who have since gone their separate ways, the Fort Sill Rugby Club now rewards its deserving members with admission into the Honorary Red Rockets Society. These named individuals are granted lifetime membership to the Fort Sill Rugby Club and are given a commemorative Red Rockets Jersey and patch. The design of the patch utilizes a bulldog, a symbol of the Marines, to acknowledge those of our members who were moving on to serve in the Corps. The rocket was chosen since many of the Army players were actually moving on to serve in MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) units. And the color red was selected because it is the official color of the Artillery, the branch in which we all served. Although the Red Rockets have not reformed to play a game since 2003, rumors of a reunion still lurk.
