Jay Fluck was so average in physical stature that you would not have given this Brown University alumnus a second glance if you passed him on the downtown streets in Providence, where he worked in commercial real estate.
But in the world of rugby extending far beyond College Hill, Jay Fluck — pronounced fluke — was a giant. Ruggers in England, Ireland, Bermuda, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, anywhere on this planet men — and now women — relish banging heads without helmets, getting bruised and bloodied and then gathering for a beer or three, knew, respected and loved him.
“An Ivy Rugby icon, Brown Rugby legend, and a great supporter of the game we all love,” is how Yale rugby described him. And that’s his former opponent.
Jay Fluck died on Sunday, March 30. He was 82. He had suffered a stroke in 2022 and also had Parkinson’s Disease.
Jay left behind a rich legacy of success: a 29-year coaching record of 315-230-12, 8 Ivy League tournament championships, and leadership that helped Brown win 12 league, conference or national championships since 2021 alone.
“He was one of a kind, and very instrumental in rugby’s development here in America,” Brown head coach Dave Laflamme told me on Sunday. Jay hired Dave as his assistant coach in 1997 and turned over the head coaching duties to him in 2008 so Jay could become director of Brown Rugby. In that capacity, he raised money and handled administrative tasks, which, of course, he had been doing for years, mostly as a volunteer.
Jay and Dave became such close friends that Jay’s wife Bonnie joked that they were like a married couple. “Jay took me under his wing as his assistant coach. It’s been an interesting ride. Personally, I owe my development as a coach to Jay. He taught me the ropes,” Dave said.
A global ambassador for the sport for almost six decades, Jay was a driving force behind the steady growth of rugby at Brown and throughout the country. A 1965 Brown graduate, he played, coached or managed Brown rugby until 2022. He also co-founded the Providence Rugby Club in 1969 with the late Bob Hoder, another Brown alum and owner of Rugby Imports in East Providence, Bill Mullin and Hal Wilder. He launched the Ivy League Rugby Tournament, joined national rugby organizations and mentored young coaches.
If the second-floor space over Tortilla Flats at the corner of Hope and Olney Streets in Providence was the rugby headquarters around here for years — Bob Hoder owned the building — the East Side home of Jay and Bonnie Fluck was the auxiliary HQ. Over the decades they entertained hundreds of former Brown players who returned for alumni games, reunions and social events.
Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, was the Brown captain in 1980-81, Jay was his coach. In a 2022 video history of Brown Rugby produced to celebrate the program’s 60th anniversary, Moynihan spoke of the leadership experience and the value of teamwork he learned from rugby. He and others praised the impact that Jay had on their lives.
The Flucks welcomed rugby enthusiasts from overseas. The South African social activist Tommy Bedford, one of that country’s greatest rugby players —who sacrificed his international career in 1971 to speak out against his government’s apartheid policy — visited. I still remember sitting in the Fluck kitchen and interviewing Tommy when he was in town with a team of black South African coal miners on a rugby exhibition tour. Jay arranged their stay at Marvel Gym, which, coincidentally, is the site of the current rugby field on Elmgrove Avenue.
Eddie O’Sullivan, the former coach of the Irish National Team, became a regular two years ago when he joined the Brown rugby staff as a technical advisor.
Although it walks and talks like a varsity sport at Brown, rugby is a club and as such is self-sufficient. Thanks to strong financial support, starting with Jay and including loyal donors to this day, rugby’s endowment is the envy of many varsity programs at Brown and elsewhere.
Laflamme acknowledged the status that varsity designation would convey, but he stressed the benefits of being a club sport. A big one: NCAA rules limit varsity teams to one trip abroad every four years. “We go every year,” he said. The team was in Portugal when Jay died.
Reaction to Jay’s death was quick. This touching tribute on social media came from New Haven the next day:
“Yale Rugby is deeply saddened by the passing of Jay Fluck, a cherished figure in the Ivy Rugby community and a true pillar of Brown University Rugby,” coach Craig Wilson wrote. “Jay was a tireless advocate for the game and played a foundational role in shaping Ivy Rugby as we know it.
“While his heart was with Brown, Jay was a familiar and welcome presence on the sidelines of many Yale-Brown matches. He was respected not only for his leadership and deep rugby knowledge but also for his generosity — always ready to lend support to other programs, including Yale.
“I’m especially grateful for Jay’s kindness and wisdom when I joined Yale and Ivy Rugby in 2015. His encouragement and ever-present smile left a lasting mark. I’ll miss seeing him on the sidelines.
“Jay’s impact on generations of players and coaches is immeasurable. On behalf of everyone at Yale Rugby, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the Brown Rugby community.”
A former Irish player and coach turned television personality posted this:
“With Jay Fluck’s passing, Brown University, college rugby, and the game in the USA have lost a titan,” George Hook wrote. “I have known Jay since 1988 and have long admired his encyclopedic knowledge of the game, most of it gained at a time when rugby in America did not have a television presence or indeed even coaching videotapes. Over that time, he trusted me with his beloved Brown teams. It may seem trite, but I always felt honored and privileged that he allowed me to work with the young man for whom he had a responsibility.
“Far more importantly, I counted Jay, his beloved Bonnie, and his daughter Avery as my friends. The hospitality afforded me by the Fluck family on my regular visits to Rhode Island can never be repaid. My condolences and indeed my prayers are with them at this very difficult time. He will have a seat in the great coaching dugout in Heaven.”
Closer to home, Michael Goldberger, retired director of athletics at Brown, remembered Jay this way:
“Jay was incredibly nice. He loved Brown rugby and supported it financially, but more importantly, his enthusiasm and creativity were without equal. Whatever rugby needed he figured a way to get things done — trips to Ireland, Bermuda, etc.”
“If the best time for a team practice was at night, he would rent construction lights to provide lighting for the practice. Whatever it took, he would get it done, and with a good attitude,” Goldberger wrote in an email.
When it came to getting things done, Jay and Dave Zucconi were the perfect tag team. Zucconi, a 1955 Brown alum and a larger-than-life personality, picked up rugby while serving with the U.S. Air Force in the late 1950s. He started the Brown club in 1960.
“Dave always believed that it was better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission,” Goldberger wrote. “That was because Dave would always do whatever he wanted — and it became Jay’s job to ask for forgiveness. And he always did it in a way that was sincere. You always felt a little badly for Jay for whatever crazy thing Dave might have done.”
Last weekend before a home game at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, Mass., the New England Free Jacks of Major League Rugby held a moment of silence in Jay’s memory.
Would college rugby — the fastest growing college sport, most Rhode Island colleges field teams, women’s rugby is an emerging NCAA sport, Brown and Roger Williams women have won national championships — be where it is today without Jay Fluck’s leadership, dedication, financial support, and unabashed love of the game and those who play it?
Without hesitating, Brown coach Dave Laflamme said, “One hundred percent not. Especially Brown Rugby. Brown can never replace a guy like that.”
Off the rugby field, Jay taught at Moses Brown School for four years and then distinguished himself as a commercial real estate broker with CBRE. In 2001 he was the Realtor of the Year. He served as board chair for Trinity Repertory Company and on the advisory board of the Providence Preservation Society. He was a member of the Providence Chamber of Commerce.
Jay Fluck came to Brown University in 1961 from New Jersey and never left. We are a better community — especially Brown rugby — because of him. Condolences to his wife Bonnie, daughter Avery and their family.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 2 at Manning Chapel on the Brown campus.
