2014 UC Davis Library to Host Celebration of the Legacy of 1924 Olympic Team Gold Medal Winning Captain and U.S. Rugby HOFer – Colby “Babe” Slater

Will be held on Saturday, July 30 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Peter J. Shields Library on the UC Davis campusSan Diego, CA (July 19, 2016) – As our U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s Rugby Teams make final preparations for their trip to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, the staff at the University of California, Davis Peter J. Shields Library is busy preparing for their salute to the man who captained the United States to gold the last time rugby was played in the Olympic Games, Colby “Babe” Slater (pictured). (Photo courtesy of UC Davis Library.)Babe, enshrined into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2012, had graduated just a few years earlier from the University Farm School (now known as UC Davis) when he led the United States to victory over France in the Rugby Final at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. At this special event, you can share in that victory by browsing through the library’s exhibit of Olympic memorabilia and artifacts donated to UC Davis by Babe’s daughter and son-in-law, Marilyn and Dick McCapes, including the gold medals Babe won at the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games.Babe Slater’s name has long been synonymous with athletic excellence at UC Davis. His legacy lives on through the university’s Colby E. “Babe” Slater Athletic Hall of Fame and UC Davis’ Colby E. “Babe” Slater Award, which has recognized the outstanding male student-athlete of the year since 1966.In addition to the exhibit, you’ll also hear from past United States Eagle, former UC Davis men’s rugby coach, and 2015 U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Purcell.Admission to this tribute for Babe Slater is free but you need to RSVP by Monday, July 25. No permit is required for this event.Guests may park for free in the “A” lot at 1st Street and Old Davis Road (a five minute walk from Shields Library). Click here for directions.Can’t make the event? You can still see the artifacts and memorabilia on display by browsing the library’s online exhibit about Babe, which will be expanded to include the entire digitized collection in early 2017.