The Clan was founded on November 17th 1967 by Davie Graham, who, with the help of Sean O’Connor-Parsons and Vince Moroney, entered two teams into the Edmonton Rugby Union. One team would be in the First Division, and one in the newly formed Second Division. Most of the players recruited to the Club were absolutely new to the game, and, after all that time, some are still with us! That first season, 1968, we were on the losing end of most games but we did win the Edmonton Sevens Tournament. The history of a very successful rugby club had started.
The 70’s saw us take possession of the legendary Grottie Towers, a three story building in downtown Edmonton. A Clan member, Bob Campbell, was waiting to develop the property so he let us have the building for free! The use of a clubhouse helped develop the club and create a few legends. We went on to create Grottie Two and Grottie Three before buying our present Clubhouse, Dun Grottie, at Airways Park from the Edmonton Optimist Club in 1982.
We arranged for the use of the surrounding fields with The City Parks Department and established an underground sprinkling system on the main field along with a major upgrading of the field and the building. An addition to the Clubhouse included changing rooms and showers for all Clan teams as well as visitors. There is also an upper room, complete with wet bar and deck. This is referred to as The Bear’s Den in honour of it’s major patron and has become the haunt of the old boys.
In 1983, The Clan became the only Club ever to win all three Edmonton Championships and then went on to become the only Club ever to win all three Alberta Championships in the same year! A Clan-slam!
1998 saw us add a women’s team to the Club. We have also toured Australia, Europe, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Bahamas, Australia and New Zealand plus numerous short tours to the USA.
The Edmonton Rugby Union has not suffered from a lack of Clan members filling Executive Offices, and the Referee’s Society can count on many members from our Club. We also had the first Albertan to play professionally, Danny Baugh (Clansmen, Alberta, CCSD and Canada), who played for Cardiff in The UK.
The Clan has been blessed over the years with members who have supported the Rugby ethic by involving themselves in all the important off-the-field activities that make the playing successes possible. We can use people of all ages, sizes, shapes, who are interested in maximizing their own Rugby potential, be it in playing or organizing. Someone like you perhaps? Rugby does not only create character, it also discovers it.
A thousand Highland welcomes tae ye!
