The morning of June 14th, the rugby world lost one of its giants. Adnan Kawuma, champion, mentor, teammate, brother, and friend, passed away unexpectedly, leaving a void that words can't fill for everyone who knew and loved him.

Adnan's story was never an ordinary one. He came to the United States from Kampala, Uganda, as a young man who had already known what it meant to start over. He was just 16 when he found his way to Mystic River Rugby Club, too gifted, even then, to be contained by a high school pitch. From that day forward, this club became his home, and we became his family.

Over the next two decades, Adnan grew from a remarkable teenager into one of the most respected players the American rugby community has ever known. A stoic, powerful athlete with the heart of a champion, he helped lead Mystic River to the 2016 USA Rugby Division I National Championship, an 80-minute thriller against the Austin Blacks that ended in triumph. Yet anyone who knew Adnan knows he would have waved off the individual praise. To him, it was always about the team, the brotherhood, the love of the game that, in his own words, made him "feel like a kid again" every time he took the field.

But Adnan's greatness was measured in his generosity, the way he gave his time to youth programs and coached the next generation, dreaming aloud of one day returning to Uganda to grow the sport he loved in the country that raised him. It was in his advice to any young player chasing a dream: “keep pushing and working hard. Hard work always pays off no matter how long it takes.” He lived those words. And it was in the quiet, daily loyalty he showed the people closest to him, the kind of friend you talk to every single day, the kind of brother you assume will always be there.

In the wake of this sudden loss, the Mystic River Rugby family and the wider rugby community are coming together to provide financial support to his mother, Christine, and his brother, Morsheen, during this very difficult time. This fund has been created to give his family some financial security in the days, months, and years ahead, and to make sure they feel held by the same family and community that meant everything to Adnan.

Whatever you are able to give, and however you are able to share his story, becomes part of his legacy and a tribute to the lifetime he poured into our rugby community.