October Alumnus of the Month: Wesley Farrow

Wes poses for a picture after breaking his nose in a match for a Los Angeles area club side.

The alumnus of the month for October comes from one of our many alumni on the west coast.

Wesley Farrow came to the University of Michigan in 2000 with an itch to walk onto the football team, but

after a friend introduced him to the sport of rugby, he was hooked. Wes was one of the core members of

the club in the early 2000’s, serving as field captain for the 2004 Midwest Championship. After

graduation, he bounced around East Africa and South America doing humanitarian work, before

eventually landing in the Los Angeles area. Read what Farrow had to say about his time with UMRFC below.

When did you play?

I played rugby at Michigan from 2000 until 2005.

What position?

Started and ended my career at flanker, dabbled from running about as a 170 pound wing to scrumming

down as a 230 pound prop, and played my best rugby season in Fall 2004 at 8-man.

Any special honors?

As an undefeated field captain I led Michigan on the pitch to a 14-0 run culminating in a Midwest

championship in 2004. As an underclassman I served in a few officer roles, including Vice President.

Favorite memories or teammates?

The 2004 undefeated season was only possible with the leadership of Captain Andrew Finn. Due to injury

he had to lead from the sideline, but his passion and rugby intelligence were key to our ability to build a

culture of winning and a team of conquerors. My favorite memory is the sense of brotherly love and

accomplishment we shared as the sidelines rushed the pitch in celebration of the Midwest Championship

in 2004. My second favorite memory was a trick play that Bowling Green ran against us once, and only

once. My third favorite memory is the combination of putting in a try within 60 seconds of kickoff at

the 2015 Olde Boys match and ending the match with an Andrew Finn mini-maul for a try in the corner.

What are you doing now?

I am the Executive Director of Coro Southern California, which is a nonprofit founded in 1942 with a

mission to strengthen democracy through the development of individual and collective leadership

capacity. You can find more info at www.corola.org. Every year we recruit Coro Fellows from across the

country. If you’re reading this as a senior or post-graduate, you should consider applying. Becoming a

Coro Fellow is right up there with playing rugby at Michigan as one of my life’s best decisions.

Any other interesting stories or info that you can provide?

Rugby has provided me with more interesting stories than I could ever tell. I also happen to believe that

UMRFC has the greatest American overall rugby club tradition, off and on pitches around the world.

Today I’m a part of the West Coast contingent of UMRFC. We like to call ourselves “Los Todos Azules”.

Look us up if you’re in Los Angeles. And to all you kids out there: Remember that fifteens are always

greater than sevens.