Three generations of one family on the same rugby field

(by Martin Pave and the Globe staff, from the City Edition of the Boston Globe, 12/20/98)

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It's not often that three generations of one family step onto the same playing field, but that's exactly what happened this fall when Thomas (Doc) Durant, 70, his son, Steve, 45, and grandson, Brian, 15, all of Dorchester, played together for the Beacon Hill Dinosaur Rugby Club in a victory over Seacoast Rugby Football Club.

Doc, who lives in the Melville Avenue section, is an assistant director at Massachusetts General Hospital; Steve, a football player at Boston College High and rugby player at Holy Cross, is a child psychologist at MGH; Brian is a sophomore at BC High, where he plays football, rugby, and basketball.

"I heard that there was a three-generation appearance on a rugby team in England, but I don't think it has ever happened before in the United States," said Steve, who lives in Savin Hill and whose Dinosaur teammates can be traced back to their high school and college days.

"At our age, we feel every game is a gift," said Steve. "The feeling I had playing with my dad and my son that day was like experiencing a marriage or a birth. My father has played with us since 1975 and over the last four or five years, he'll come in as a sub for a few minutes. This year, we just thought it would be special to have Brian play with us in the Seacoast game to unite all three generations."

The Dinosaurs, who play their home games at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, are so named because the core of their team ranges in age from 35 to 50. They were the New England Division 3 champions in 1996 and 1997 and Division 3 champions at the St. Patrick's Day Tournament in New York City this year.

"We've got Irish, Welsh, South African, and Americans on our team," said Steve, "and we all have that feeling of community. I know rugby has given me and my family a sense of belonging."