Not everyone can claim to having founded a rugby club but back in 1968, this is what Dr SR Logan did, arriving as a member of staff to the Chemistry dept of the New University opened in Coleraine that same year.
During the following 44 years Sam has played for the club, has been mini bus driver, recruitment officer, Hon secretary, President and for many years Club fixture secretary and Rep to the Ulster branch clubs committee and as Joe Eggleson said at the opening of the club rooms, ” when Sam spoke people tended to listen”. His influence has been massive in all things good about the ethos and delivery of student rugby.
In the 70’s he persuaded one of the most forward thinking rugby minds in Irish rugby, JC Lapsley who had coached the famous Kings Scholars at Stranmillis, and who also happened to be a full Irish selector to take on the coaching of the young club. By this vision of recruitment he influenced the coaching ethos of the club for three decades and indeed to the present day. He was immensely proud that in his latter academic years students who had been involved in the early days of the club would come knocking on his office door to introduce there sons who were now enrolling such as father and son Noel and Christopher Mills from Rostrevor County Down, who both played and acted as Secretary for the club.
Sam also encouraged many to take up club administration and refereeing most notably Brian Stirling who when sustaining a playing career ending injury in his first year at Coleraine, was instructed by Dr Logan to take up the art of the Whistle! The highlight of his career of many internationals was a Bledislow cup match.
In recent years Sam decided at 70 it was time to stop doing touch judge were he kept many a referee right with his decisions and on occasions in order as to the rules of the game! He now contents himself with spectating at the home games from one of the hospitality boxes at the Cromore Road pitches now affectionately known with the players as the Sam Logan Stadium! Well Done Sam.
-Dr Sam Logan being presented with one of the clubs new ties by club treasurer Simon Morgan at the recent home fixture against Lisburn.
Match report UUC Vs Lisburn 03-03-11
UUC entertained Lisburn at the University looking to secure some points to keep pace with the challenge of Omagh and Ballyclaire for the section 2 title. The result a fanatic 52 – 5 win for the home team did not tell the story of the fixture. It has been the pattern in recent weeks for the students who have struggled to achieve any meaningful fluency in their game and with injuries to key players continues to blight them, however in one of those games, every time Lisburn made a mistake the young student team turned it into points. The first score came from a poor clearance which was fielded by full back Miller who was able too round the visitor’s defence to score in the corner, the conversion was missed. Although Lisburn had the better of the scrums and lineout the key factor was the students ability through some luck as well as skill to turn ball over and then punish the opposition with points on the board and good trys from Wingers Hall and Rowden (2), and centres Winder and Henry put the students into a 30 point lead by the break. Lisburn to there credit in the second half with the elements in there favour despite several injuries to key players fought hard and were rewarded with a good try and were unlucky not to score several more against the fragile home defence. The students managed trough man of the match fresher J Dillon and second row Henley to score two further trys with Millar and Murphy converting five in total. The University know they will have to be much sharper against the experienced opponents that lie ahead in the weeks to come.
