As of April 23, the Larry Layne Trust has pledged more than $9 million to Occidental in support of its academic mission and the rugby program, according to an article in the Occidental Magazine.
Melissa Mount, head of Occidental’s fundraising and alumni team, said the gift will eventually support the college in several ways. Mount said that Larry Layne (‘71) and his wife, Dr. Sheelagh Boyd, donated money to several programs.
“Some of [the money is] going to go towards an endowment for the greatest needs and opportunities for rugby,” Mount said. “[Layne] donated to a lot of different organizations. Oxy was one of eight different charitable organizations that he and his wife are supporting.”
Mount said the gift will include unrestricted funding for Occidental’s priorities, an endowment for rugby and other club sports, and potential facility improvements for future athletic programs.
“We don’t have a traditional football program at this point, but I could envision a world [where we do] in the future,” Mount said. “A portion of the gift can go toward facilities and upgrades for those kinds of programs.”
According to the Occidental Magazine, Layne discovered his passion for rugby while playing football at Occidental. Layne died in December 2024, leaving behind a lasting connection to Occidental and its community. According to a UCLA Newsroom article, Layne also donated $40 million to UCLA to support multiple areas of the campus.
“He stayed at Oxy while he was doing grad school at UCLA to coach the men and women’s rugby team,” Mount said. “He just had a passion for [Occidental] […] [Layne] was generous to so many organizations.”
According to Mount, the commitment is guaranteed and the funds are irrevocable, although they won’t be available until after Boyd’s death.
“It’s a dual life trust,” Mount said. ”The gift won’t be realized until after she passes away.”
According to Oxy BlackPines captain Alisa Clayton (junior), Occidental has two rugby teams: the Oxy Ravens and the Oxy BlackPines. Clayton said both teams welcome players with diverse identities and backgrounds.
“[Our] team is now going by the Oxy BlackPines because we’re trying to be a gender-inclusive, queer-friendly team,” Clayton said. “The men go by the Oxy Ravens, and they’re also inclusive.”
Clayton said she joined the Oxy BlackPines as a first year, and the team is a welcoming community where members can build friendships and stay involved on campus.
“You can walk around on campus and be involved in a sport while not necessarily playing as intensely as the other athletes do, which makes it a unique experience,” Clayton said.
Oxy Ravens captain Andrew Bigelow (junior) said he joined the rugby team as a first year. Bigelow said the team fosters a sense of community and brotherhood, and Layne’s gift is an opportunity to improve the club.
“Historically, we were a pretty dominant, well-respected program,” Bigelow said. “The grant enables us to call back to that history and really develop in a more serious way.”
According to Bigelow, playing rugby develops a shared identity that brings people together across different backgrounds and levels of experience.
“No matter where you are, where you’re from, how old you are, how many years you’ve been playing, the moment you start playing rugby and you call yourself a rugby player, you’re part of this larger group,” Bigelow said.
Bigelow said rugby creates a community that extends beyond Occidental, with players remaining connected through the sport even after graduating.
“We’ve always felt that one of the most important parts of our program is our connection to the alumni,” Bigelow said. “Obviously this grant is indicative of that, but even if there was no grant, we would still want to have that connection.”
Clayton said the rugby team does not have a dedicated field, and the BlackPines must schedule practices around Occidental’s varsity teams’ schedules at inconvenient times.
“We always have a home-field disadvantage, just because we’re not training in that space,” Clayton said. “[When] the money [comes], the first priority would be to talk to the school and figure out what a more permanent structure for Oxy rugby would be.”
According to Bigelow, the teams having a permanent field would not only provide the players with the equipment they need, but also give Occidental rugby a stronger presence and a place to build its community for years to come.
“As long as [the money] stays within the organization, [whether it’s] small purchases for 100 years or one big purchase tomorrow, that’s all that matters,” Bigelow said. “We’re really just keeping the program alive that way.”
*Alisa Clayton is the Crossword Editor at The Occidental.
Contact Olivia Adams at oadams@oxy.edu
