UFRC Coaches

"Rugby is a life sport that has room for everyone, of any background, and of any athleticism. There are many opportunities to play rugby beyond high school and college, including at the professional level, the Olympic level, and abroad. The community aspect of rugby is unlike any other sport in the world. One of my goals is to grow this sport in the Rochester area and use it as a tool to help young people thrive in whatever it is they want to do, on and off the field. Life skills and lifelong friendships are made through this sport. I fell in love with it because as a football lineman I got to run and pass the ball in rugby while still tackling people. The sense of community and inclusion also got me hooked. I am excited to work with young people in the Rochester area and teach you everything you need to know to; have success, explore future opportunities that rugby can provide, and have a great time doing it." - Coach Ruhland

Coach Andrew Spencer began his rugby journey at McQuaid Jesuit. After a brief hiatus from the sport in college, he found love for the game again and began playing with St. John Fisher's Rugby club and then the local men's club - Rochester Aardvarks. Spencer started his coaching career at his alma mater as an assistant coach and then received a head coaching position at SUNY Geneseo where he fell in love with coaching the next generation. After a successful two years at SUNY Geneseo, Spencer took a position as an assistant coach at Nazareth University and was recently promoted in July 2024 to lead the program as the head coach.

Coach Spencer can be reached at aspence01@naz.edu.

Coach Rob Ruhland graduated from Fairport High School in 2008. Having played multiple sports including football and baseball, he was introduced to rugby in 2005, and in the Spring of 2006 began playing rugby full time, playing varsity football and rugby throughout the rest of high school. Attending SUNY Oswego for college, he quickly joined the rugby club which immediately gave him a sense of camaraderie and an identity on campus. During his freshman year ('08-09), the Oswego Rugby Club made a division 3 national championship run. Ruhland became a team captain and the rugby club president at Oswego, then returned to Rochester and began playing for the Rochester Aardvarks Rugby Football Club. This is when he began his coaching career as head coach of the men’s rugby club at RIT and various roles for the Fairport Rugby Club over the last 13 years. In 2024, he became the assistant coach at Nazareth University for the men’s rugby team.

Coach Ruhland can be reached at rjruhland2@gmail.com.

Learn more about rugby, what it can teach players, and why Coach Rob is excited to be a part of UFRC in this short video: Intro to UFRC.