GLENDALE, Colo.– USA Rugby and College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) have announced that former Eagle and current collegiate coach Luke Gross has been appointed the new General Manager of USA Collegiate Rugby.
Gross is a hugely popular figure in the game who earned 62 caps (then a record, since broken) for the USA over a 12-year career. He was one of the first-ever professional American rugby players, and played professionally for a number of European teams from 1996 until his retirement in 2007.
He has since coached with several USA teams and has most recently been the Head Coach at Indiana University. Gross takes on the new College GM role with sights set on strengthening the college rugby landscape, on and off the pitch.
“I put my hand up for this role because I believe in college rugby and what it can become," said Gross. "I have spent most of my life in the game as a player, coach, and program builder, and I felt this is an opportunity to use that experience to help the college game on a larger scale. I am a builder, and I enjoy bringing people together, solving problems, and helping programs grow. I am excited about the opportunity to strengthen college rugby, support our member institutions, and improve the overall experience for our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators."
Gross coached at University of Colorado before taking on the Head Coach job at Indiana. At around the same time, Indiana's players voted to switch from CRAA/D1A to NCR. Gross, however, made sure Indiana was always a dues-paying member of USA Rugby, and repeatedly said that was something he felt was important.
That experience coaching at Indiana, playing against both NCR and CRAA teams, has been important in preparing him for this new job.
“Our overall goal is to strengthen and unite the college game at all levels while creating the best possible experience for our student-athletes and programs. We need to listen to our members, improve communication, build stronger relationships, and provide meaningful, well-organized competitions.
"College rugby is an important part of the player pathway in the United States. As we build toward the LA28 Olympics, and Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups being hosted here in 2031 and 2033, we have both a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to bring the college rugby community together. We have a great deal of work ahead of us, but if we can bring the right people together, remain focused on our student-athletes, and help build a stronger pathway to our national teams, I believe we can create something very special and take college rugby in US to the next level.”
Luke Gross at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Photo Alex Goff.
Gross’ rugby career began at Marshall University, where he started playing while completing his Master of Science degree. After graduation, he joined the Cincinnati Wolfhounds and went on to make the USA national team. He enjoyed a 13-year professional career in Europe and represented the USA Eagles in three Rugby World Cups.
Following his playing career, Gross began giving back to the game through coaching, player development, coach development, and administration. His roles with USA Rugby included serving as High Performance Player Development Manager, supporting high-performance coach development, and helping organize the annual Collegiate All-American program.
Gross continued building his experience as head coach of the Sacramento Express in PRO Rugby, the first professional rugby competition in the United States. He later served as Director of Amateur Rugby and as a coach with the Glendale Raptors in Major League Rugby. He also coached the Glendale XOs, a program focused on developing crossover athletes for rugby that produced several current USA national team representatives in both 15s and 7s.
“Today is an exciting day as we take a big step forward in the growth of college rugby with Luke’s hiring," said USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren. "Looking ahead to strategic goals in the college space, we’re thrilled to work with Luke on driving success of the collegiate game by expanding participation, strengthening institutional and conference relationships, developing strategic partnerships and creating new revenue opportunities. Luke’s proven leadership and love for the grassroots game is a welcomed energy for this all-important role, we’re excited to venture forward together.”
CRAA President, Paul Keeler added, “This is an important step for college rugby. We are putting full-time leadership in place, whose primary responsibility is the collegiate game. That matters. There is a lot of opportunity in front of us, but taking advantage of it requires consistent attention, stronger relationships and someone accountable for moving the work forward.
Luke brings a combination of experience that is difficult to replicate. He has played at the highest level, coached the college game and spent years working in player development and rugby administration. He represents both the game, and the people in it.
More than anything, this role is about stewardship. Luke understands that leadership in college rugby requires stewardship in the form of supporting the people doing the work, creating opportunities for our athletes and programs, and building something stronger for the next generation. We’re excited to have him leading that effort.”
Gross will remain as Head Coach at Indiana through October, working to ensure that the program will have good leadership with its assistant coaches and be well-placed to bring in a new Head Coach. During that month he will transition to the USA Rugby job.
During the same period, Gross will focus on the onboarding of collegiate rugby staff including Men’s and Women’s Competition, Marketing & Communications and Events Manager positions.
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