Phil Bolton lettered in football, soccer and baseball during his four years at Jesuit Dallas, but he’s best remembered for an outstanding rugby career that blossomed in high school and carried to both the collegiate and professional ranks. In his two years as starting full back, the Rangers compiled an overall record of 33-4-1. He was a co-captain during Jesuit’s run to the 2001 state title, and established single-season records for points (146), conversions (43) and penalty kicks (29).
In the team’s legendary 2001 season, Jesuit opened the campaign with six consecutive shutouts. Outscoring the opposition on the year by a score of 535-49, the Rangers’ average margin of victory was nearly 31 points. Included in the run was a pair of victories over the Cayman national team, while Jesuit defeated Austin Area High Schools (Westlake) to win the Texas Rugby Union State Championship and cap a flawless 17-0 ledger.
After graduation, Bolton spent a year at Fachhochschule Joanneum in Switzerland, before becoming the first rugby player in the history of the Jesuit Dallas program to receive an athletic scholarship. Shining as a full back and fly-half at the University of New Mexico, Bolton was named a USA Rugby Collegiate All-American following the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Bolton began his professional career by joining Clive Rugby Football Club in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Totaling 34 premier caps, Bolton was part of a Clive team that won the 2008 Nash Cup in Napier, while serving as Clive’s top scorer in 2009. Continuing his career for the Denver Barbarians RFC of the USA Super League, he finished 2010 third overall in the league for try scores.
Bolton’s professional career has also included stops with the Cleveland Rovers (2013) and the Dallas Reds, which is the premier USA rugby club in the DFW area. A current member of the Atlantis U.S. Sevens, Bolton was identified as one of the nation’s top 144 players after being selected to the Dallas Sevens for the inaugural Elite City Seven tournament in 2014. He also currently competes for the Republic of Texas (Texas all-star team).
In addition to his competitive pursuits, Bolton served as head coach of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, where he led the Wildcats to the 2013 Ohio State High School Boy’s Sevens Championship.
