HISTORY OF THE REFUGEES ref-u-gee (ref yoo gee) n a person who flees from his home or country to seek refuge elsewhere, as in a time of war, political or religious persecution, etc. "In the Beginning" The Miami Refugees began in 1978. Like many things from that era much has been forgotten, but some has been remembered. It really all started when Doug "Jabba" Schick (#23), John Haney and Larry Nick started playing after watching some people play at the University of Miami. "The Bomb" Jabba, John, and Larry invited Kurt Dahlenburg (#22) to try the sport out one evening. That was the first practice of what would become many Refugee practices over the course of 25 years. Two gangly teenagers were also out that night: Kevin "KK" Bogusky (#5) and Steve Fowler (#11). They were invited to play. That first scrimmage was an evenly matched game with Jabba, John, and Larry on one team and Kurt, Steve and KK on the other. With the game in the balance, the park ranger told them he was going to turn off the lights. Kurt chucked a bomb to Fowler to win the game. It was the first and last bomb of his career (still, it was a backhand). "The Civil War" Until 1984, North Miami Ultimate, as they were then called, battled with their cross town South Miami rivals who practiced at Riviera Elementary School. The Riviera team had been around at least since 1980, playing as the "Disc Jockeys." Much of its preReagan -roots , however, remain murky. Dave "Witty" Dewitt (#4), Jim Kane and Greg Meckus formed the corps of that squad with their captain Rusty Bonnell. Both teams were solid in the Southern Regional Championships, but failed to qualify for the National Championships. In 1984, however, the die was cast. North Miami and Disc Jockeys combined to form the Refugees. The name "Refugees" (contrary to popular belief) is not a reference to the Mariel boat lift, but rather a reference to the fact that the players came from all over the country seeking "refuge" in Miami. Kurt and Rusty Bonnel decided that it was time to quit battling with each other and unite against the common foe, Gainesville. That year, not only did the Refugees qualify for Nationals, they won the Southern Region, knocking off Gainesville in the semifinals and defeating Etherbunnies in the finals. "The Salad Days" Throughout the 1980's and 1990's, the team performed well, winning the Southern Regional Championship on numerous occasions (1984, 1991, 1994, 1996) and competing in the National Championships often (1984, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998). Many rivalries grew against other teams such as Gainesville (Fat Women then Vicious Cycle), Atlanta (Chain Lightning), Houston, and Dallas. In 1996, Miami placed 5th at Nationals. The Refugees also went to several World Club Championships (1989, 1993, 1995, 1997). In 1997, Miami placed 4th at the World Club Championship in Vancouver. During this period, the Refugees practiced often, competed in many tournaments, and played at events such half time shows during Dolphin games and even appeared on ABC with the Shannon and Sterling Sharpe. Both football stars played in a game during the Miami Spring Break Tournament the highlights of which aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports. "An Unholy Union" Perhaps the single rivalry that most defined Miami was that with its northern opponent, Vicious Cycle from Gainesville, Florida. For years, the hard feelings bubbled beneath the surface between the Refugees and Vicious Cycle. On one occasion, a Gainesville player lit the jersey on fire (unoccupied at the time) of a Refugee player. Facing strong intraregional and national competition, both teams merged to form (not all too creatively) "Florida Combo". Combo took second in 1999 and 2000 at the Southern Regional Championships, but managed to finish 6th at the National Championship in 2000. That National Championship is notable in that Florida Combo was losing 14-11 to Seattle Sockeye, but came from behind to win 15-14, propelling them into the quarterfinals. In 2001, the team won the Southern Regional Championship, but finished a disappointing 15th at the National Championship that year. Florida Combo also won Easterns in 1999, beating Boston's Death or Glory in the finals 17-15. Combo also won Mudbowl in Birmingham, Alabama that year 13-8. In 2002, Combo disbanded. "The Quiet Before the Storm" The Refugees played one more year in the open division. While they lost to Gainesville at Regionals, they defeated Atlanta who eventually placed 6th at Nationals. "Retirement" Given that the team was older than dirt (even older than the UPA), in 2003 the Refugees decided to enter the masters division. The 2003 campaign promised to be a difficult one because the winner of the National Championship would represent the United States in Turku, Finland at the 2004 World Championships. This meant that many more masters teams would make a dedicated push for the prize. The Refugees placed second, behind Gainesville in the open division (a/k/a the young whipper-snapper division) of the Florida Sectional Championship. The Refugees won the Southern Regional Championship, defeating Big Unit. By winning the Southern Regional Championship, the Refugees qualified for the National Championship and were seeded third going into the tournament. "The Glory" The Refugees played close games their first day of pool play, winning two against Gray Expectations from Minnesota (a great game which could have gone either way) and Glum from Canada. The Refugees lost to eventual second place finisher, Old and in the Way from Boulder. During the game against Boulder, the Refugees lost one of their founding players, Steve "pillow-boy" Fowler, who suffered a broken rib and a collapsed lung in the pool play game against Old and in the Way. Their second day found Miami cruising through their opposition defeating, Keg Workers of America out of Seattle, and Hoss, out of North Carolina. In the quarterfinals, the Refugees beat Never Nice Guys from San Diego. On Saturday, the Refugees had a close game with Kavu (Idaho) in the semifinals, prevailing 13-9. In the final, after falling behind, 9-5 at half time, Miami came back to defeat Old and in the Way, 17-11. It was spirited game with Old and in the Way providing formidable competition. "Worlds 2004" In August of 2004, after months of hard training, the Refugees set off for Turku, Finland to represent the U.S. in the World Ultimate and Guts Championship. In pool play, Miami defeated Germany, Japan, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Australia, Netherlands, and Great Britain but lost to Canada in a close game, 15-14. Great Britain also staged a formidible come back, but the Refugees held on for the win. The Refugees played Great Britain in the semifinals storming, out to a large lead early in the match. Great Britain, as they had before, made a serious come back, taking the lead 13-12. The Refugees regained their composure and took the game 17-13. The Finals was against Canada who had beaten Sweden in their semifinal game. The Refugees took an early lead and never gave it up. Although Canada was taller and faster, Miami was better conditioned and better acclimated to the unusually warm weather. A combination of some defensive adjustments and the wind proved effective against Canada's offense. Also, Miami's offense, which had had an up and down tournament, did not commit the number of turnovers that had plagued it throughout the tournament. The end result was a solid win for the US and Miami's first Worlds gold medal.