The Beginnings One of Belmont Shore’s founders you all know quite well. Syd Manning, an All Coast guard on the 1957 Long Beach State Univ. football team, joined mates John Reed, Bill Matz, Ray Alderson and Jim Harriman, among others, to form the Long Beach Rugby Club in 1964. Most of the members of the new club were ex-Long Beach State footballers. The best player on those early teams was Don Montgomery. The coach at the time, and an integral force behind the club’s success, was Steve Woolridge. Steve also played number eight and led the club to its first-ever state championship--over Piedmont Gap RFC--in 1965. The Early Years Over the next 10 years, the Long Beach Rugby club evolved like any organization. There were ups and downs, but overall success. Some notable players of the era include Brad Woolridge, Harry Schmidt, Shawn McKinney, Joe Bochenck and Steve Bowling. In the early ‘70s, Dr. Dale Toohey arrived from Australia and recruited away many of the Long Beach Rugby Club’s stars to play for his Cal State Long Beach university side. Dissension followed within the Long Beach RFC and in 1974, the Belmont Shore Rugby Club was formed. The Revolution The exodus to the quaint town by the bay was lead by Steve Woolridge. Three particularly important Long Beach members--both on the field and off--went with Steve. They were John Morris, an outstanding fullback from England, and Stu Ledsam and Gary Montgomery, both members of UCLA’s National Championship teams in 1971 and 1972. The new Belmont team was just above average in its early years. Other standout players of this era were backs Rich Spindler and Gary Bernstein, and forwards Jim Sterbentz and Jack "Sasquatch" Rutherford. In 1978, BSRFC won the second division title with hard play from flyhalf Dick Johnson (also the coach), hooker Red Phillips, back Red Smith and forward Bob Aydelot. The Transition In 1979, the Long Beach Rugby Club, suffering from a lack of organization and limited recruiting experience, finally folded. The demise was hastened by the departure of administrator Henry Lee who made off to Hawaii along with all of the club’s funds. While it was unfortunate that a 25-year-old club had folded, it was a boon to the fledgling Belmont Shore squad. Building The early ‘80s were a time when Belmont struggled to find an identity. While several outstanding players joined the club - notably Joe Wilmoth, Eli Braithwaite, John Russi, Mike Gooing and Brian Parkhouse in the scrum, and Mike Schaub, Nick Bozzo and Joe Collinsworth in the backline - the club lingered in the second division. The club expected to improve further with the addition of ex-Long Beach State members George Scott and Louis Ortiz, rookies Art Coffee and Ken Beckman and Stanford’s George Kerekas. In 1981, Belmont laid the groundwork for a very strong team with the addition of Welshman Roger Rees, hooker Bruce Winter and ex-Seattle Seahawk Charlie McShane. The club finished second in league at 5-2 and yearned to break into the first division. Its prospects brightened with the addition of five new starters in 1982. Winger Marty Popelka, hooker Pat McNally, center Jerry Denham, eight man Larry Castagnola and super-prop Randy Morris all joined the club. The 1982 squad allowed only one try against them in easily winning the second division crown. The Glory Years The 1983 season was time for Belmont Shore to take its place among Southern California’s elite. The "big four" at the time were Santa Monica, Newport Beach, OMBAC and Los Angeles. Belmont looked to compete with the addition of Phil Drum, England’s Steve Gates, Jeff Lyle, Ray LaBau, Dave Zuck, Russ Houck, Scott Smith, Randy Del Prado and Paul Gray. After an opening victory over Santa Monica, Belmont dropped the next three but still finished a respectable third in the division. The seasoned 1984 team was the most successful to date posting a 19-4-1 record en route to second place in the first division. They advanced to the Pacific Coast Territorial Championships where they finished second after convincingly defeating perennial powerhouse Old Blues along the way. The 1984 club also won the Santa Barbara Tournament. In 1985, Belmont Shore was 70 players strong and fielded a tough old boys team. From 1985-89, Belmont finished first or second in the first division four times. In that span, it also won championships in the Cypress, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara and OMBAC tournaments. The late ‘80s witnessed the coming of coaches Bob Wilson of Australia and Denis Berg of New Zealand, along with strong administrative leadership from Mike Tracy.