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. His academic experience includes Adjunct Clinical Professor, Indiana School of Dentistry and Illinois School of Dental Medicine. He has lectured extensively in the US and many foreign countries, taught at the Royal Air Force Dental Post Graduate course and his publications have appeared in professional dental journals. He has taught English when stationed abroad and has been active in establishing dental civic action programs. Upon retirement, 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"
Col Battock was so revered that after his passing there was an award named after him: The Colonel Richard D. Battock Lifetime Achievement Memorial Award - awarded to individuals in recognition of their lifelong commitment of service to military rugby. This award was named after Colonel Battock, whose passion for the sport of rugby introduced and inspired countless military athletes to play the game. His tireless development of clubs and touring sides worldwide, and instrumental role in bringing the sport to varsity status among the Armed Services, began the era that brought military rugby to the prominence that warranted national recognition.
It was awarded for the first and only time in 2009 to DANIEL FLAHERTY, U.S. Army (Major, Retired),and ALAN OSUR, U.S. Air Force (Major, Retired), who were nominated by their respective Service rugby coaches and unanimously confirmed by the designated voting panel of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps rugby coaches.
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 and Memories
From Harry Laws: 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.
From Terry Brady (teammate at Scott AFB): I can't remember when I first met Dick Battock but it had to be at the Scott bar. He was a force of nature. He ran the Scott Dental Clinic and handled tough referrals from all over. He was an O-6 at the time and a very credible dentist. He worked on one of my difficult dental problems and remarked, "the old man still has some tricks."
He had started the Rowdies and I took over the task as #2 through 1980. I remember Zack Zacour as a quick winger and we attracted quite a few on base guys of all ranks. We played in the St Louis Rugby league and were dominated regularly. Dick chose a kit of black with white trim and a yellow stripe across the chest. We looked like bumble bees but pretty cool and distinctive. For me to be playing fly half, we had to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. I moved to scrum half the following year and we were about 50% in a very competitive league. The one great thing about St Louis was we were always traveling and the opposing team always had a keg for us. There was hard competitive play but great camaraderie after the match. I remember a few punches thrown but always great fun at the end. We mostly played in Forrest Park.
Dick is listed as the manager but in fact he played regularly as second row. He had to be 40 in those years and was single as having been through a few wives. He adopted rugby late in life and we Rowdies became his family. He was a special guy and I miss him to this day. He always had a bottle of Pinch available in his apartment. He was somewhat of a lost soul but he loved Rugby.
There are many vignettes but (Harry will appreciate this) we were playing the Bombers in 1980 and think and it was close. They were penalized on the 5 meter line and I was scrum half. Instead of moving it to the backs, I picked up the ball and drove into the Bombers entire forward line thinking I could get a touch if they were not paying attention. They were and I got called for a penalty for holding on to the ball after being tacked. Battock chewed me out unmercifully after the play as he was above me on the pile. He said I was too small to run into a pack of 250 pounders and should have given it to him. He would have gotten the try. I admitted "he was correct, sir." We had a great laugh about it later. I could certainly feel it the next day.
From Bruce Carter (famed Army rugger and referee extraordinaire): Dick Battock was certainly a dedicated and accomplished man. I'd like to think that I was, too, but I'm afraid that the main trait we shared was a love of rugby songs. We met at a western regional military tournament held at Camp Pendleton in 1985. There were six or eight teams, making for quite a party. After getting up on a table and reciting Eskimo Nell I suddenly had a wingman, the Colonel whom I had already been told had the entire D-M team staying at his BOQ. I have no doubt that my facility with lyrics as much as with a rugby ball accounted for my selection to tour the UK with the USCS the following year.
When Dick was in heaven's waiting room I visited him in Tucson. He was in a room by himself. So as not to alarm the staff, the other patients or any visitors the nurse allowed me to close the door while I sang every song I could recall Dick enjoying, which was all of them.
Benefitting firsthand from Dick's dedication to and talent for organization, seeing the joy it gave him and the respect it earned him, inspired me to devote as much time to rugby admin as possible. There were giants in those days, The Meanest in pride of place.
