It was a typical practice for the Northern Illinois Husky rugby team last Tuesday preparing for their game against Miami of Ohio. Players were doing their drills accordingly and making sure to have a crisp practice when, suddenly, a life was in danger.

A man walking his dog outside of the practice field collapsed. Without hesitation, the entire team sprung into action with captain and scrumhalf Pat Caulfield being the first man to the scene and assessing the situation. The man was non-responsive and didn’t appear to be breathing so club president and lock Thaddeus Hupp performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived.

“I had an immediate reaction to the situation and knew CPR from my active duty in the Navy,” Hupp told RUGBYMag.com.

Players rushed to the man’s house to alert the family of what had happened while a few others called 911 and ran a mile to the campus police station to flag down a police officer. The team received word the man was in the hospital and in stable condition after being admitted to Kishwaukee Community Hospital.

“The whole team sprang into action quickly and played a huge role in saving the man’s life,” Hupp said. “Had it not been for some quick thinking, it’s very possible this man wouldn’t be with us today.”

The man admitted to the hospitable has not been named.