My older brother, Jimmy played football since he could walk by himself up until his senior year of high school, there was no doubt that he loved the sport. Not only did he love it, he was good at it, being over six feet tall weighing around two hundred pounds my brother was a beast on the field. He was definitely the last guy you’d want to see running at you.

After my brother graduated high school he went to a small school named Lasell College. Going from a school that was all about football to a college that does not even have a football team was a huge transition for my brother to make. He no longer had the sport he grew up playing. So what did my brother do? he improvised. Jimmy established such an amazing friend group here at Lasell College, one being his best friend Mike Sullivan which we know him as “Sully”. The two of them had an amazing idea; To start a rugby club.

Rugby is a very tough sport. There was a lot of hitting, tackling and getting hurt involved in the game. That did not scare my brother away, he would practice and practice until he knew he was good enough. Do not get me wrong, the team was not the best when my brother was around but that never diminished his spirit. He would flash his big goofy smile after a tough loss because he knew the team gave it their all. That team was a family and they all knew it.

“Hey, ma! do you think bleach will take this out” is what my brother screamed from the field during the very first rugby game my Mom, Dad and I went to. He got a broken nose and there was blood all over his face and his navy blue Lasell rugby jersey. That didn't stop Jimmy, he wiped it off and continued to play because he never wanted to let his team down. I remember the worry in my mom's eyes watching Jimmy bleed from the sidelines because she did not know what was happening but then sighed in relief once she realized how minor it was and that he was ok. He waited until the very end of the game before he let anyone take him to the hospital.

On August 29, 2011, it was a beautiful day outside, it was my last day of summer before I became an official eighth grader. That was also the day I lost my brother.

During the wake and funeral, the whole Lasell rugby team came. I had never seen such dedication to something. They loved my brother, just as much as he loved them and I could not contain my emotions because I knew how much my brother was appreciated for everything he had done. They retired the number eight in his honor and went undefeated the next season dedicating that season to him.

If anyone knew my brother they would’ve to know how much of a kind soul he really was. Jimmy was not fake about being kind, he was one of those few who was a genuinely nice person. Nice is an understatement for how amazing he truly was. Although he was an incredible person he was also an older brother. He still teased me until I cried and ran to my mom to tell on him. He still would get mad at me if I annoyed him around his friends. He would still pretend to wrestle me not knowing how much bigger he was and accidentally hurting me. Aside from all of that plus so much more he would still come to me at the end of the day and squish me with his huge body until I forgave him or else he would not be able to sleep knowing I'm upset. He was truly one of a kind.

Fast forward five years from now it is now me sitting in the Lasell College dorms. The rugby team is still here. Coming to this school I did not expect anyone to still acknowledge that my brother was ever a thing here. I was wrong. Even though the current rugby team has never gone to school at the same time as my brother, they still honor him. This past summer I went to a game where the alumni played the current rugby team. It was a great game and the alumni won. What really got to me was after the game they all huddled together and started cheering for my brother. I got the same feeling I did five years prior, they loved him. During the team's home games, they hang up his jersey above the home bench in memory of him.

To the current and future rugby players of Lasell college, thank you. It may not seem like much to you but to me and my family, it means everything.