Alan Whelan

Testimonial:
Anyone who knows Alan Whelan knows that he is a man who is larger than life. I first came to know about him as a novice rugby player in my years with St. John’s University. Alan was an established icon of the club – founder and player-coach who led the club to a dominant record playing often against men’s clubs. He was in many respects half-man/half-myth and the focal point of legendary stories about the club’s great early successes on and off the pitch. By the time I arrived he had move on to life in the city, but the legend lived on, and I had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times at our alumni games and in some of the local bars.

So it was with great expectations that I walked into the Red Lion Pub one cold damp evening in late February 1989. I was six months into my first year of law school at nearby NYU when I got a call from Chris Ratay, who told me of Alan’s plans for a new club. Desperate for an outlet from classes and hours of case work, I leapt at the opportunity to play for the lion of a man I had heard so much about. The challenges of those early days have been spoken of often and I won’t repeat them here. What does bear repeating and what I think has been tattooed into the soul of our club are the love of the sport and the passion to win that Alan brought to the club and that inspired us all in those early years. He truly put his heart and soul into getting the Lions established and into building a record of success. There were certainly hiccups along the way, and many leaders have emerged over the years to pick the club up when it has been down and to push it forward with greater and greater success each year.

That said, make no mistake — without Alan there would be no Village Lions RFC — and where would that leave us all today? I know I speak for a great many Lions — active players and alums alike — when I say we owe a huge debt to Alan for what he has given us. A great club, a great tradition, and great friendships. So thanks Alan – cheers, and congratulations!

–Dennis Martin
Biography:

Alan Whelan arrived from Ireland in 1965, and the New York rugby scene was never the same. The young Dubliner captained New York RFC from his flanker position, and also went on to represent the Met. New York. Upon enrolling at St. John’s University, he learned there was no rugby team, so he started one up. As would become a trademark with Whelan’s rugby teams, the squad dominated the competition and quickly moved up to play senior men’s clubs – winning Division III and Division II, before finding a home amidst Old Blue, New York and the others in D-I.

After finishing his studies, Whelan opened the Red Lion in Greenwich Village in 1983, giving New York its first legitimate rugby bar – where the matches were always showing on the TV, and touring sides, from pub teams to national squads, popped in for a pint.

Continuing to help out with both St. John’s and the NYU Med school team that liked to drink at the Lion, Whelan decided to throw together a social rugby team — fashioned after the pub teams in London, with no training, and occasional matches. Bolstered by the various Kiwis, Aussies, English and Irish who staffed the pub, the young Village Lions romped through all six opponents their inaugural season, before applying for membership in the Met. New York. Whelan’s vision of a senior men’s club, wearing the black and white stripes of England’s fabled Barbarians and the lion’s head patch of his pub, had come to fruition. Like his collegiate charges, the Village Lions would go on to win both Division III and Division II to earn a spot (albeit temporary), among the D-I boys.

These days, Whelan, 65, has sold off his various pubs and restaurants, and is a mortgage broker on Long Island. Currently working with St. John’s officials to bring the now-defunct collegiate side back to life, Whelan regularly follows the men’s and women’s Lions, and is a common face on the sidelines, at the pub and, once in a blue moon, between the lines.

“I’m thrilled to see how the club has been able to sustain itself,” he says. “So many clubs have folded or merged, changed their colors and their name, but we’ve held up as the Lions, and we’ll remain the Lions.”

Tags: Hall of Fame