Robert Fulton "Steamboat" Porter

1968 Richmond Rugby Club

The Porter Cup is named in honor of Robert Fulton "Steamboat" Porter (1936-2002), the founder of the Richmond Rugby Club in 1963 and its original and fierce scrumhalf. Steamboat was the former President of Central National Bank in Richmond, a professor and PhD in Art History, who taught at Virginia Tech and Queens University of Charlotte. He was a graduate of Woodberry Forest School, received his B.A. from Princeton and PhD from UNC Chapel Hill. He was a sculptor, a family man and a man of all seasons.

Left: 1968 team photo, Captain Jim Wynn and Steamboat Porter are sitting in front.

Below: 1969 team, Steamboat is the second to the right of Ed Lee (center with a suit and tie), tucked behind Johnny Flemming. This is the team that played in the legendary match against Richmond England at City Stadium in the fall, with 2,500 estimated in attendance.

1969 Richmond Rugby Club

1972 UNC Rugby Club - "When Bob came to Chapel Hill for his art history degree, he helped the student club in many ways.  He is in the center of the attached photograph from 1972 wearing his Richmond jersey." Tom Ricketts