|- | colspan=" 2" style=" text-align: center; padding: 0.5em; " bgcolor=" white" | |- | Club founded in | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 1896 |- | Colors | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Red and black |- | Stage | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Stage Vuillermet
(3 000 places) |- | Seat | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 20, rue Lortet
69007 Lyon |} The Lyon Olympique University is a general sports club French. The Racing Club of Lyon is founded in 1896. It becomes Lyon Olympique University in 1901.

It comprises a section of Rugby to XV, double champion of France (1932 and 1933). The team currently evolves/moves in Pro D2.

Section Rugby

History

Rugby is practiced initially in Lyon by school sports associations, in particular by the Sporting union of the College Amp in 1890. Football Club of Lyon (FCL) is founded in 1893, it disputes competitions of Rugby since 1895 with the Athletic Association of Grenoble. The FCL and Sporting Club of Lyon recruit British players then to reinforce their manpower with the beginning of the year 1900, they are qualified regularly for the final stage of the championship of France.

Jean Burnichon resigns abruptly of his position of president of the FCL and joined Racing Club of Lyon founded in 1896. The club then adopts the name of Lyon Olympique and new colors (red and black). The bringing together between Lyon Olympique and the ACE of the Central School in 1910 enables him to acquire young players, which will justify its new name of Lyon Olympique University (LOU).

During the inter-war period, the LOU plays the first parts in the championship, in particular thanks to a recruitment of players coming from Languedoc-Roussillon. During the time 1920-1930, the LOU supplants the FCL like better club of Rugby of the Lyonese. The LOU reaches its apogee with championships of France in 1932 and 1933, under the control of its captain Vincent Graule.

After the second world war, Rugby with XV Lyonese knows one period of decline which can be charged first of all to the emergence of Rugby with XIII in the area then with the popularity of football, the Olympique Lyonese plays in the first division since 1954. On the regional plan, the LOU is competed with by the clubs close to the CS Vienna and the FC Grenoble which is champion of France in 1954.

The LOU arrives in quarterfinals of the championship 1950-51. Thereafter the LOU will be exceeded on the regional plan by the clubs of Voulte, Romans and more recently by the CS Bourgoin-Jallieu.

After one good season 2005-2006, the LOU was clearly reinforced with the arrival of new players and a new framing. In spite of these reinforcements the LOU did not qualify for the final turn of rise to the Top 14.

Participation in the championship of elite since 1946

The following list indicates the seasons disputed by the LOU, since 1946, in the championship of elite (of which name changed with the passing of years):

  • 1946-47 to 1955-56

  • 1959-60 to 1968-69
  • 1970-71 to 1972-73
  • 1974-75 to 1977-78
  • 1993-94

Its best performance during this period is a qualification in quarterfinals at the time of the season 1950-51.

Since the season the 2002-03 LOU evolves/moves as a Pro D2. The club missed by twice promotion in Top16/Top14:

in 2004 the LOU is beaten in semi-final by Auch (champion of Pro D2 this year there) on the score of 11-16;
in 2005 the LOU is beaten finally by Aurillac (which will be eliminated in stopping for a place in the Signal 14) by 19-21.

Prize list

Finales of Lyon OR

The following table gives the particpations of the LOU to the finales of the Championnat of France.

Manpower 2007-2008

Trainers

  • Raphaël Saint-Andrew
  • Mathieu Lazergues (since June 2007)
  • Gil Black eye

Players emblematic

Section football

“Olympic Lyon”, founded general sports club in 1896 under the name of Racing Club of Lyon, obtains a section football in 1899. First club of the Lyonese qualified in final stages of the championship of France of football USFSA (1906), the Olympic one faces the Olympique of Marseilles in eighth of finale. After a tie 2-2, the Lyoneses do not go to Marseilles for rejouer the meeting… Eclipsed by FC Lyon in 1908 and 1909, the Olympic one finds the championship of France in 1910. Drawing aside Besancon (4-1), the Lyoneses incline 5-0 vis-a-vis the Swiss Stade of Marseilles, in quarterfinals. Become “university Olympic Lyon”, the club is still present in championship of France USFSA in 1913 and is eliminated in eighth from finale (5-1) by Saint-Raphaël. The “LOU” evolves/moves then at the stage of the Irises while waiting for Gerland which leaves ground in 1920 (construction of 1913 to 1920). It is the famous architect Tony Garnier who draws the lines of them.

The LOU joined the professional rows in 1942 and removes, with two points in advance on Bordeaux, the Southern hen of the last championship of war. The national final of the championship opposes Lyon to Rouen. Rouennais are essential 4-0. These good performances collected in time of war make it possible the LOU to be promoted in Division 1 with the resumption of the season 1945 - 1946. The club, chaired then by Felix Louot, falls in D2 since 1946.

In May 1950, of the strong dissensions between the sections Football and Rugby of the LOU cause the departure of the section football, pros and amateurs. The latter chooses a new name then: “Olympic Lyonese”. In counterpart with this war football-Rugby, the LOU is interdict of football during two seasons by the League of the Lyonese… After these 24 months of interdict, free with the LOU of refonder a new section football in its center, which it did, by creating on the occasion a new club, with new number of affiliation with the FF, which exists today still. This section football LOU “2” cannot in no case to claim to recover the history and the honors glanés by the LOU “1”, become Olympique Lyonese.

Notes & References

External bonds

  • Official site of the club
  • Rugby in Lyon 1890-1964, by Pierre-François Large

Random links:Uster | Odontesthes bonariensis | County of Macoupin | Ludwig von Falkenhausen | Jan Metzelaar

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org