Bob Weggler enters his 25th season as the head coach of the Norwich University men’s rugby program in 2025–26.
Weggler has been involved with rugby since 1973, playing in his first-ever game for Old Blue (New York) while a junior in high school at the age of sixteen.
As a Cornell undergrad, Weggler competed on the first side for four years, capturing the Upstate Rugby Union title as a freshman at number 8. In his sophomore year, he was selected to the Upstate Rugby Union Select Side, competing against the London Scottish in New York City. As a club player for Old Blue, Weggler competed in three national Final Four Division I Club Championships (1980, ’81, ’86).
Weggler has over 41 years of collegiate coaching experience, including stints at Cornell University, Amherst College, Colby College (leading them to back-to-back Final Fours in 1999 and 2000), and Norwich University, where he began in the fall of 2001. He has guided the Cadets to unprecedented success, winning five straight conference 15s titles and three straight 7s league titles.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in fall 2020, Weggler and Norwich’s rugby alumni group, Scrum Alums, launched a fundraising campaign that led to the construction of a new rugby clubhouse. In September 2021, Norwich held its 50th Year Celebration and cut the ribbon on the new facility. That fall, Norwich reached the NCR Final Four in Houston, Texas, finishing third in the nation after defeating Northern Iowa in the consolation match.
Under Weggler’s leadership, Norwich has qualified for 15 national tournament appearances across 15s and 7s, including third-place national finishes in 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2024, and a fourth-place finish in 2019. Between 2016 and 2019, Norwich won a program-record 21 consecutive conference matches and compiled a 41-8 record in 15s.
Since joining National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) in 2021, Norwich has made four straight Sweet 16s and Elite 8s, along with two Final Fours (2021, 2024). Multiple Cadets have been selected to NCR’s Collegiate All-Star Weekend each year since its inception.
Weggler has guided Norwich to nine USA Rugby Collegiate Division II 15s National Tournament appearances (2013, 2016–2019, and from 2021–2024) and one Division I appearance (2004). In 7s, Norwich has captured 12 titles, including multiple Chris Munn 7s, NEWCRC 7s, and the 2019 Ariel Re Bermuda 7s. Most recently, the Cadets reached the Bermuda 7s final in 2025 after defeating Harvard and Maryland before falling to Bermuda’s national side.
All-Americans under Weggler’s watch include Keegan Frick ’17, Tom St. Pierre ’17, Nathan Rolling ’20, Leo Clayburgh and Artur Martinez (2021), Leo Clayburgh and Reshawn Frazier (2022), Marius Edwards (2023), and Marius Edwards and Jeff Pappalardo (2024).
Earlier program highlights include appearances in the USA Rugby Division I Sweet Sixteen (2004), victories over Texas A&M, and consistent showings in the Northeast Rugby Union playoffs. Norwich transitioned from Division I to II in 2009 following the formation of the Ivy League Rugby Conference.
Weggler’s commitment to international exposure has seen Norwich travel extensively, including 7s trips to Montreal (2018), Ottawa (2019), and Bermuda (2016, 2017, 2019, 2024, 2025). His 15s squads have toured Ireland (2004, 2011, 2018, 2025), England and Wales (2015), and England and Scotland (2023), with both men’s and women’s teams participating in the most recent Ireland tour.
Weggler directs the annual Chris Munn 7s Tournament and oversees the awarding of the Chris Munn Scholarship during Homecoming each fall. He previously served on the Norwich Academic Committee, was a mentor in the Norwich Leader Development Program, and held leadership roles within the New England Collegiate Rugby Conference and Vermont Youth Rugby Association.
In addition to rugby, Weggler was a longtime math teacher and holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Vermont College of Union Institute & University and a B.S. in Agriculture General Studies from Cornell. He is also the inventor of the Scrumijer, the first scrum sled made in the United States.
Weggler holds Irish citizenship through his grandfather, James Quinn. He and his wife, Diana—whom he met playing rugby at Cornell—have been together for over 47 years and are the proud parents of four adult children and grandparents to Wadi and Celia. They spend their summers at Rugby Farm in Mid-Coast Maine. His hobbies include bridge, gardening, and cycling New England’s roads.
