Men's Rugby

Iona Rugby is a member of the Liberty Rugby Conference. The team was founded in 1977.

Head Coach

Kyle Granby

Kyle Granby began playing rugby during his junior year at Iona University and quickly made a name for himself. After graduating, he won a Division-1 National Championship with the New York Athletic Club and competed in numerous championships with Old Blue of New York. He also represented the USA Hawks in rugby league. Kyle and his wife co-founded ROOTS Rugby Family, a non-profit organization supporting players of the African diaspora. He has served as Captain for Old Blue and the Brooklyn Kings and is now returning to Iona as the new head coach after an impressive first season with our 7s program. Kyle was inducted into the Iona Rugby Hall of Fame in 2018, solidifying his legacy at the university.

Coaching & Support Staff

Nicholas Clapinson

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Nicholas Clapinson is an accomplished rugby coach with multiple international stops. His most recent role was as Head Coach of the Quebec Provincial Team, where he led the squad to a championship win at the 2024 East Coast Rugby Championship. Prior to that, he coached at Bishop’s University in Canada. Clapinson is a former Canadian international and professional player and met coach Grandy while coaching Old Blue RFC.

Connor Buckley

Email: cbuckley@iona.edu

Connor Buckley most recently served as head coach for the Iona Rugby team. The former captain was a USA Collegiate All-American Honorable Mention, played for USA U20s in the World Rugby Trophy qualifiers, and was a D1A Rugby Liberty All-conference first-team selection and a 2020 Scholz Award Finalist. Connor previously played for the New York Ironworkers and is currently a member of Old Glory DC.

David Flemister

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Dave is a longtime member of the Iona Rugby and was a member of the teams most recent championship in 2021. He started his rugby career at Connecticut College and was a member of the New York Rugby Club.

Kevin Morgan

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Kevin joined the Iona Rugby coaching staff during the fall of 2024. The former Co-Captain played all four years during his academic career at Iona University.

Jim Daley

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Jim is a longtime member of the Iona Rugby and was a member of the team’s most recent championship in 2021.

Rugby Schedule
Date	Team	Location
Friday, August 22	vs Delaware	Bronxville
Saturday, August 30	at Yale	Yale
Saturday, September 6	vs Harvard	Mazzella
Saturday, September 13	at AIC	AIC
Saturday, September 20	vs Brown	Mazzella
Saturday, September 27	at Syracuse	Syracuse
Saturday, October 11	at Fairfield	Fairfield
Saturday, October 18	vs Siena	Mazzella (Homecoming)
Sunday, October 25	vs Fordham	Mazzella
Saturday, November 1	at Dartmouth	Mazzella