Eagle Rock Rugby Club

History

Rugby football is the signature sport of the Eagle Rock Athletic Club (ERAC). Rugby is the oldest, continuous sport that ERAC has sponsored. The origin of the sport within ERAC was established in 1937 by a group of athletes which included Dan Pretzinger and the late Harry Beck. This group of athletes, who played at the Verdugo Playground in Los Angeles, California (a city not too far away from Eagle Rock, California), called themselves the “Verdugo Vacqueros.” In 1945, Barney Tiernan approached Phil and Dean Spurgeon with the idea of an Eagle Rock Athletic Club. Two of the athletes that were part of that original group were Pretzinger and Beck. Agreeing to this idea, football was started (both Pretzinger and Beck were very good at it – Beck was an “All American” from San Jose State). Pretzinger and Beck persuaded the avid football players of ERAC to play rugby football during the off-season – thus Eagle Rock Athletic Club Rugby began. Since 1937, ERAC’s rugby team has won 19 SCRFU First Division Club championships, 2 SCRFU Second Division Club Championships and 1 SCRFU Third Division Club Championships during it’s storied existence.