Fifty-five years after our last rugby match with First City Troop Philadelphia Rugby Club, our team’s lives took divergent paths, but our bond as teammates remained. Last weekend at Rickerson Field at Haaga House, I watched the Princeton women’s rugby team meet Harvard on Senior Day. Haaga House was Paul Haaga ’70 and Heather Haaga’s gift to Princeton. In between the two pavilions Charles Hintz designed, Paul found a bronze “Tiger” by Charles R. Knight, who created the Palmer Square tiger, to join the two pavilions. On the left wall is a laser-annealed block lettered stainless steel plaque with “HAAGA HOUSE” in black. When I noticed Haaga, I said to Stephen Loughran ’82, “I know Paul Haaga, we were teammates on the First City Troop Rugby team for three years while he was at Penn studying for his law degree and a master’s in economics at the Wharton School.”
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Paul Haaga ’70, left, and Peter Clark.
Courtesy Peter Clark
Stephen brought me to Rickerson Field to watch his daughter Ciara, Princeton ’26, play. It had been a while since I had seen a live match and hadn’t touched a rugby ball for 42 years after retiring from the game with gnarly fingers, a false front tooth, two broken noses, and a slight cauliflower ear.
Standing in front of me in an orange sweatshirt, khaki trousers, orange sneakers, and a Princeton Rugby cap, Paul heard me speak and turned around and said, “Peter Clark! It’s been 55 years since we played together. Where have you been all these years? You haven’t changed a bit!” Then he hugged me and said, “It’s good to see you!” And I said, “Here I stand with a patch over my eye from shingles with sunglasses and a cane hobbling along with a huge smile.” I felt so happy to see Paul. I shouted, “Paul Haaga! You’ve got a great memory and recognized my voice and manner like old times!”
We spent most of the game reminiscing about old times and enjoying our time together with other rugby athletes who played for Princeton back. It was like old times.
Having stood for so long, I asked Paul to walk with me to get to the car safely, quite a way from Haaga House. Then Stephen came with the car, and we looked at each other with tears in our eyes and said one last goodbye with a hug — two ex-rugby teammates, me at 87, Paul at 77.
Whether we’ll meet again, I don’t know. If we don’t, I’ll smile at our recalled memories and be satisfied with them. This parting was a wonderful moment for me, as if we were still winning on the pitch. Surely, we’ll take this reunion with us with a smile when it’s our time. Until then, I’ll keep hobbling with a cane, a patched left eye, two heart ablations, two V-Tach’s, and a Watchman implant. I consider myself lucky. My soul’s intact, and I still have heart “living in accordance with nature,” responding to “Clarkie!”
Fifty-five years after our last rugby match with First City Troop Philadelphia Rugby Club, our team’s lives took divergent paths, but our bond as teammates remained. Last weekend at Rickerson Field at Haaga House, I watched the Princeton women’s rugby team meet Harvard on Senior Day. Haaga House was Paul Haaga ’70 and Heather Haaga’s gift to Princeton. In between the two pavilions Charles Hintz designed, Paul found a bronze “Tiger” by Charles R. Knight, who created the Palmer Square tiger, to join the two pavilions. On the left wall is a laser-annealed block lettered stainless steel plaque with “HAAGA HOUSE” in black. When I noticed Haaga, I said to Stephen Loughran ’82, “I know Paul Haaga, we were teammates on the First City Troop Rugby team for three years while he was at Penn studying for his law degree and a master’s in economics at the Wharton School.”
Paul Haaga ’70, left, and Peter Clark.
Courtesy Peter Clark
Stephen brought me to Rickerson Field to watch his daughter Ciara, Princeton ’26, play. It had been a while since I had seen a live match and hadn’t touched a rugby ball for 42 years after retiring from the game with gnarly fingers, a false front tooth, two broken noses, and a slight cauliflower ear.
Standing in front of me in an orange sweatshirt, khaki trousers, orange sneakers, and a Princeton Rugby cap, Paul heard me speak and turned around and said, “Peter Clark! It’s been 55 years since we played together. Where have you been all these years? You haven’t changed a bit!” Then he hugged me and said, “It’s good to see you!” And I said, “Here I stand with a patch over my eye from shingles with sunglasses and a cane hobbling along with a huge smile.” I felt so happy to see Paul. I shouted, “Paul Haaga! You’ve got a great memory and recognized my voice and manner like old times!”
We spent most of the game reminiscing about old times and enjoying our time together with other rugby athletes who played for Princeton back. It was like old times.
Having stood for so long, I asked Paul to walk with me to get to the car safely, quite a way from Haaga House. Then Stephen came with the car, and we looked at each other with tears in our eyes and said one last goodbye with a hug — two ex-rugby teammates, me at 87, Paul at 77.
Whether we’ll meet again, I don’t know. If we don’t, I’ll smile at our recalled memories and be satisfied with them. This parting was a wonderful moment for me, as if we were still winning on the pitch. Surely, we’ll take this reunion with us with a smile when it’s our time. Until then, I’ll keep hobbling with a cane, a patched left eye, two heart ablations, two V-Tach’s, and a Watchman implant. I consider myself lucky. My soul’s intact, and I still have heart “living in accordance with nature,” responding to “Clarkie!”
Laissez bon temps rouler!