Austin Grupp

INDIANA — When the Indiana (Pa.) University rugby team opens its spring season Saturday night, it plans to do some heavy hitting.

It will be doing so with heavy hearts.

The Crimson Hawks' club rugby team will take on Slippery Rock at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Miller Stadium in a memorial match honoring the late Austin Grupp.

Grupp, a 2014 Butler graduate, was killed in an automobile accident Dec. 29. He was a member of the Army Reserves and played for IUP's rugby team the past two years.

Claude Clark, a co-captain of the rugby squad, was a football teammate of Grupp's at Butler and entered the military with him.

“We were very close friends,” Clark said. “This memorial game was mine and the other captain's (Tyler Horatt) idea. We wanted to do something special to honor Austin.

“He was our motivator. He was a hard-hitter who set the tone for the game's intensity.”

Clark was a senior fullback-outside linebacker, Grupp a junior middle linebacker on the 2012 Golden Tornado football team. That was the last Butler football team to reach the WPIAL playoffs.

“Austin tried walking on IUP's football team, but got cut,” his mother, Tammy Osche, said. “That's when he put his full (athletic) attention on rugby.”

Grupp's parents will take part in the pre-game coin toss Saturday night.

IUP rugby traditionally plays its home games on a grass field in Indiana with no lights. Its games generally start at noon.

This will be the team's first game under the lights on Miller Stadium's artificial turf. IUP's ROTC program will take part in a ceremony at the game.

“This is a big deal to those kids to be able to play at Miller Stadium and play a night game,” Osche said. “It means a lot to me to see Austin getting honored this way.

“That team loved himso much. Those kids are amazing. They were all great friends.”

Grupp was a member of the military police through the Army Reserve program at the time of his death.

T-shirts have been designed in memory of Grupp. Players will be wearing them at the game and shirts will be on sale at the stadium.

Clark said there is no admission charge to the game, but shirts and bracelets will be sold and donations will be accepted.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds will be given to the (Grupp) family,” he said. “We're grateful we're allowed to use the stadium and play at night.

“We're trying to get as big a turnout for this game as we can to honor a great teammate and friend.”