Pittsburgh Sledgehammers

The Pittsburgh Sledgehammers are a rugby league football team based in the Pittsburgh area. They are currently confirmed to be affiliated with the new USA Rugby League. They play their games at Founders Field in Cheswick, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Sledgehammers

Club information
Full name	Pittsburgh Sledgehammers Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)	Sledgehammers, Hammers
Colours	Black   Gold
Founded	2010; 14 years ago (2010)
Current details
Ground(s)	Founders Field Cheswick, Pennsylvania (2,500)
Coach	Ken DeLucia
Captain	Ken DeLucia
Competition	USA Rugby League
2010	10th

The club was founded as the Pittsburgh Vipers, and joined the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) as an expansion team for the 2010 season. In 2011 they were one of seven teams to depart the AMNRL to form the USA Rugby League, adopting their current name shortly thereafter. On February 18, 2011 it was announced they would serve as a "developmental" team in the new league. In June 2015, it was announced the Sledgehammers would be coming out of hiatus and participate in the USARL in the 2016 season under new management.

History

The team, originally known as the Pittsburgh Vipers, was founded in 2010. They joined the American National Rugby League as an expansion team for the 2010 season, replacing the Bucks County Sharks, who had suspended operations for the year. Their first scheduled match was against the Washington, D.C. Slayers, but the Slayers were unable to travel to Pittsburgh as scheduled, which meant their first game was postponed.^[1][2] They played their first game in round 2 of the 2010 AMNRL season, where they lost 80–4 against the Fairfax Eagles.^[3]

In 2011 the team was one of seven teams to leave the AMNRL to form the new USA Rugby League.^[4][5][6] They changed their name to the Pittsburgh Sledgehammers shortly after.^[6] In February 2011 it was announced the Sledgehammers would be participating as a "developmental" team in the new league.^[7][8]

Logo and colors

Their jerseys are black and gold, the traditional colors of Pittsburgh sports. Black and gold are the colors of the city's flag as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2018 squad

Pittsburgh Vipers

2018 AMNRL squad								Coaching staff
Ken DeLucia (c) Sione Tapu David Banta Steve Sikon Brian Frank Ron Holloway Colin Williams Dan Hudock Mike Wilk Travis Gatewood Brandon Cavalieri Rich Trotter Harry Wright		Shawn Gillespie Ben Kowatch Alex Gray Pierre De Oliveiera Tim Bagatti Robert McKinley Daniel Craig Brett Albrecht Steven Karlovec Josh Hall Tom Martinez James Musico						Head coach Ken DeLucia Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) (gk) Goal-kicker Injured Updated: N/A Source(s): Pittsburgh Vipers 2010 team

See also

• Sports in Pittsburgh

References

1. "AmericanRugbyNews.com New AMNRL Season". Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
2. "American Rugby News". www.americanrugbynews.com.
3. "American Rugby News". www.americanrugbynews.com.
4. Mascord, Steve (January 12, 2011). "Discord 2011: Edition 2". rleague.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
5. "New Rugby League Competition Announced". rugbymag.com. Rugby Magazine. January 12, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
6. "Breakaway league launched in the US". code13rugbyleague.com. January 12, 2011. Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
7. "USARL Constitution, Teams Entry Qualifications Announced". fightrugby.com. February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
8. "Developing Regions". usarugbyleague.com. USA Rugby League. 2011. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.

External links

• Pittsburgh Sledgehammers website