SPENCER, Ia. – The most popular memorial of Austin Roberts at Spencer High School doesn’t have his name on it.
The strapping 18-year old senior wrestler died Saturday after collapsing during a home tournament. More powerful than the small outdoor shrine in his honor, flowers and boxes filled with sympathy cards is the Spencer wrestling team’s preseason poster. It features Roberts’ muscular torso and flexing biceps.
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“Austin was absolutely tickled when he saw it,” Spencer activities director Dave Brown said with a laugh on Monday.
“He wouldn’t stop bragging to me about that.”
It’s a nameless, faceless show of strength in a Spencer singlet, towering above a posed picture of the rest of the roster.
“How cool is that right now?” wrestling co-head coach Adam Gress said. “He’s our poster guy. We’ve got little kids that look up to that guy.
“With those big strong arms and hands … that is really him.”
Others in northwest Iowa had come to know Roberts as the figure featured in that image. Now the poster gives his friends, town and Iowa’s supportive wrestling community something to rally around during a difficult time.
That’s become even more true in recent days, as news of Roberts’ death has spread across the nation.
“He’s overlooking the team too, that’s what I kind of see,” said Ryan Pratt, Spencer’s other co-head wrestling coach.