Robinson M. Bordley (born 1947) is an American former rugby union player who played as a fly-half and

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

for the United States men's national team. He served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the national team in its first two modern-era test matches in 1976.

Early life and club rugby career

Bordley was born circa 1947, the eldest son of Robert Austin Joseph Bordley and Martha Ann Bordley (born Robinson). Bordley attended Landon School, graduating in 1966. During his time as a student at Landon, Bordley was a multi-sport athlete and earned 17 varsity letters. Bordley then attended Princeton University, where he was a member of the university's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and lacrosse teams, earning all- Ivy League honors in each sport. Bordley played at wide receiver for the football team and also returned punts and kicks. Bordley graduated from Princeton in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. After graduating from Princeton, Bordley joined the Washington Rugby Football Club (RFC) in 1970 and played with the team for more than a decade. During his time with Washington RFC, Bordley served as team captain, and was also selected for and captained representative teams with the Potomac Rugby Union and Eastern Rugby Union (ERU). In 1976, Bordley joined the ERU All Stars on a tour of South Africa. The following year, he returned to South Africa to play for an invitational international all star team at the then-newly renovated Loftus Versfeld Stadium. During his tenure with Washington RFC and the United States men's national team, Bordley studied at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

and earned a master's degree in history.

International rugby career

Bordley made his debut for the United States men's national team (Eagles) on January 31, 1976, starting at fly-half and serving as captain, in the Eagles' 24–12 defeat to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Bordley served as the Eagles' captain during this match and in a June 1976 match (in which he started at fullback) against France—the Eagles' first two test matches of the modern-era. Bordley made three additional test match appearances representing the United States through 1978, but he did not score during his five match career with the team.

Professional career

In 1970, Bordley joined the

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument) A faculty is a legal in ...

at Landon School. In 1975, Bordley became the head

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

of the school's boys' lacrosse team. Over the course of 42 seasons, Bordley led the team to a total of 655 victories, making him the fifth winningest coach in United States high school boys' lacrosse history, After the conclusion of the 2017–18 school year, Bordley retired from his head coaching and full-time teaching positions. While at the school, Bordley also coached junior-varsity

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and worked as

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

of the varsity football team.

Personal life and honors

Bordley married his wife, Donna, in 1977. Together they have three children: John Robinson "J.R.", Austin, and Claire, all of whom have played lacrosse at the collegiate level. Over the course of his life, Bordley has received numerous awards and honors. He was inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013 and the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame (Potomac Chapter) in 2004. He has also been nominated for membership in the U.S. Lacrosse National Hall of Fame. On September 13, 2003, Landon School dedicated and named Robinson M. Bordley Stadium in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bordley, Robbie Living people American rugby union players United States international rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union fullbacks American lacrosse players High school lacrosse coaches in the United States Schoolteachers from Maryland Players of American football from Maryland Year of birth missing (living people)