As the world comes together to mark the 14th anniversary of 9/11, GRC is very proud to remember gay rugby hero, Mark Bingham.
Mark was a dedicated rugby player, connected to both San Francisco Fog and Gotham Knights in New York City.
On September 11, 2001, Mark boarded United flight 93 from New York to San Francisco. This was to be one of the four planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks.
It is now widely accepted that Mark was among a group of passengers who fought back against the hijackers on-board, and while all passengers and crew were tragically killed when the plane crashed into the ground near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, it is believed that his actions and those of his fellow passengers saved countless other lives as the hijackers intended target was not reached.
Mark’s heroism led to his name being immortalised by the game of rugby, the game he loved so much. In 2002, the first Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament was held in San Francisco and saw gay and inclusive rugby clubs coming together in Mark’s memory.
The tournament, now known as the Bingham Cup, was recreated in London, England in 2004 and has been repeated biennially ever since. The next Bingham Cup takes place in Nashville, Tennessee in May 2016.
Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mark, particularly to his mother, Alice Hoagland and best friend Amanda Mark, both of whom actively support the Bingham Cup and have shown great support to the gay rugby community over the years since 9/11.
Amanda has very kindly allowed us access to some of her most treasured memories of Mark with the following gallery of photos:
