Fifty Years of Building: How Partnership and Persistence Built Western Washington Rugby

In 1975, two young players stood side by side on the field at Chuckanut Bay Rugby Club, neither knowing that half a century later they would still be building the same legacy; only this time, on a national stage.

Paul Horne and Mike Girton first played together at Western Washington University in 1973-1974, part of the generation that helped plant rugby's foothold on campus. That friendship, forged in the intensity of the sport, has never wavered. Fifty years later, as Western Washington University Men's Rugby enters its most consequential era in more than 60 years by competing in D1A rugby, their partnership stands as a testament to what happens when shared vision, unwavering commitment, and strategic investment align behind a common purpose.

The Architect of Excellence

Paul Horne didn't just stay connected to Western Washington Rugby, he became its backbone. As WRA Director of Rugby, Horne has guided the program through a transformation that few in college athletics thought possible. His credentials speak for themselves: a former Canadian National Coach and 2015 inductee into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame, Horne brought not just institutional knowledge but a championship mindset to everything he touched.

Over the past decade, Horne's steady leadership has been the silent force behind staggering competitive success. From 2016 to 2026, the Western Washington Men's Rugby program has captured nine NCRC Conference Championships in fifteens and seven in sevens. They've earned eight Top 10 national finishes and eight Top 5 finishes. But the championship run that defined recent years tells the real story of Horne's impact:

In the 2023-24 season, the Vikings' sevens team claimed the National Championship; a dominant run that announced WWU as a national power. Then, in the 2025-2026 season, the fifteens squad won the CRAA D1AA National Championship, a remarkable achievement in a sport where consistency at that level is rare.

These aren't lucky seasons. They're the result of relentless systems, principled coaching, and a culture that Horne cultivated brick by brick.

Horne is the first to share the credit with the coaches beside him, and none has stood closer than Allan Law. Law has been with the program since 2012 and has coached side by side with Horne for many years. A dedicated and passionate coach with a long history in the game, he has given the program his time, his knowledge, and his steady support season after season, and that commitment has been a massive help to Horne and to everyone around him. Much of what Western has built on the field, Horne and Law have built together.

Tripp Marotto joined the coaching staff in 2018, after his own playing days at WWU ended. Law and Marotto have both made huge contributions to the program and built strong relationships with the players, and both are key reasons for Western's success and the winning culture behind it.

A Strategic Partner in the Program's Rise

But Horne's vision alone wouldn't have been enough. Programs don't ascend to national prominence on passion and principle alone, they require resources, strategy, and investment. Enter Mike Girton.

Girton has known Paul his entire life, but over the past five to six years, he has emerged as one of the program's key contributors and strategic partners. As a Lifetime Member of the Western Rugby Alumni, Girton didn't simply write checks; he fundamentally reimagined what the Western Washington program could become.

His investments are everywhere in the fabric of the program:

The Paul Horne Scholarship ($5,000 annually to incoming students) directly supports Horne's vision by investing in the next generation of players. The Western Viking Scholarship ($5,000 annually) recognizes student-athletes who embody the program's values of excellence both on and off the field. These aren't token scholarships, they're strategic commitments totaling $43,000 annually through the comprehensive Western Washington University Men's Rugby Scholarship Program, which Girton helps oversee as a committee member alongside Horne.

But Girton's impact extends far beyond dollars. He has been the catalyst for strategic thinking around marketing, alumni engagement, and program promotion; the kinds of operations that separate good programs from great ones. He has pushed the program to think bigger: more scholarships, more visibility, deeper alumni connections. His friendship with Paul, rooted in shared rugby experience and mutual respect, has created a unique partnership where the strategic donor and the institutional leader operate in perfect alignment.

Girton is quick to point out that he is one of many contributors, and that neither he nor Horne built this alone. Few have given more than Jeff Lombard, a teammate of both men during that same era. A former USA Eagle, Lombard went on to become a key figure in building the program from the management and administration side, and today he serves as President of the Western Rugby Alumni. He is also a trusted advisor to the coaches and to clubs, bringing the perspective of someone who has played the game at the international level. His experience, his relationships, and his work behind the scenes make him one of the biggest assets the organization has.

Gerry Henson, serving as WRA Treasurer, was similarly instrumental in every effort to push the program forward. And Ron Lee, a quiet and humble backer who played during that same era, recognized the work being done to elevate WWU into a premier program; his financial support and vision have been a significant contributing factor in the program's growth.

The Bond That Embodies Rugby

This is where the story transcends typical donor-coach relationships. What makes Horne and Girton extraordinary is that their partnership isn't transactional. It's rooted in something deeper: a shared love of rugby, a commitment to excellence, and an understanding that institutional legacies are built by people who stay, who show up, and who believe in something beyond themselves.

In rugby, the bond between teammates forged in the heat of competition is sacred. Horne and Girton didn't just play together 50 years ago, they lived the game together. That bond has never broken. It's evolved. It's deepened. And it's now the foundation upon which Western Washington Rugby's greatest era is being built.

This friendship represents everything Western Washington Rugby aspires to be: a program where alumni don't just reminisce about their playing days; they build the future. Where donors understand that investment in student-athletes is investment in character. Where institutional knowledge and strategic resources work in harmony to elevate everyone in the ecosystem.

A Moment of Historic Significance

Western Washington's elevation to D1A rugby in 2025 marks the program's largest challenge and greatest opportunity in more than 60 years. It's a watershed moment, the culmination of Horne's architectural vision and Girton's strategic support.

The Vikings don't walk into D1A untested. They arrive with:

• Back-to-back national championship credibility (sevens 2023-24, 15s regional dominance in 2025)
• A newly hired Head Coach Adam Roberts (former Rugby Canada U18 & U20 National Coach) and a coaching staff featuring former All-American coaches and Canadian nationals
• Access to professional strength and conditioning, video analysis, and triple-weekly training sessions
• Recruitment pipelines spanning 9+ states and 6 countries
• A brand elevated through national match streaming and two international tours (UK 2018, Scotland 2022)
• The strongest incoming recruiting class in program history: 16 new commits

They don't walk in alone. They walk in with Paul Horne's decades of institutional leadership, Mike Girton's strategic investment, and the unified support of an engaged Alumni Association that understands what's at stake.

What Success Really Looks Like

There's a tendency in sports to measure success by trophies and rankings alone. Those matter. But the real measure of what Paul Horne and Mike Girton have built is something quieter and more profound: a program where young men from all corners of the country and world choose to come because they understand they're joining something meaningful. A program where alumni invest, not because it's fashionable, but because they lived the values being instilled. A program where friendship—genuine, lasting friendship—is the foundation upon which excellence is constructed.

When Horne and Girton played together at Chuckanut Bay in 1975, rugby in Washington was a grassroots endeavor. Few knew the sport existed. The idea that it would one day command national attention seemed impossible. Yet 50 years later, Western Washington Men's Rugby is competing for national championships, attracting world-class coaches, recruiting international student-athletes, and capturing the imagination of a university that once barely knew the game existed.

That's not luck. That's the result of people who believed in something and never stopped building it.

Into the D1A Era

As Western Washington steps into its biggest challenge in 60+ years, the partnership between Paul Horne and Mike Girton stands as the program's North Star. It says: Excellence is possible. Loyalty matters. Alumni can change the trajectory of an institution. Friendship forged on the field can be transformed into institutional impact.

The 2023-24 sevens national championship and the XVs regional dominance of 2025 aren't the destination. They're proof of concept. They're validation that the systems Horne built and the resources Girton invested will hold firm as Western Washington competes against the elite programs of North American college rugby.

Success in D1A won't be easy. But Western Washington enters this era not as hopefuls, but as a program with a foundation, a vision, and a partnership that has already proven it can deliver at the highest level.

Fifty years in the making. Still building. Still together.

Go Vikings.