The University of Indiana men's rugby program has confirmed that Luke Gross as their new Head Coach.
IU played last season under interim Head Coach Eddie Abel, who had stated that he did not expect to be a long-term coaching solution for the program. Indiana finished runner-up in the Big 10 and then competed in both the R7CC and May Madness 7s under 7s Coach David Fee.
But the move was afoot to make the coaching position at Indiana a full-time position, and IU rugby alumnus and current backer, Mark Cuban, has reportedly agreed to help fund that.
Gross played basketball at Marshall and Indiana State. A native of Indiana, he took up rugby in the mid-1990s and first played with the Cincinnati Wolfhounds before embarking on a professional rugby career that lasted 12 years and saw him suit up for pro teams in England, Wales, and Italy. When Gross played his last game for the USA, the lock held the all-time record for USA caps with 62. That record has since been broken, but he remains the 3rd most-capped Eagle.
