Athletic Hall of Fame
The Gustavus Adolphus College Hall of Fame was established in 1978 at which time 19 "Charter Members" were inducted either as coaches or as athletes. As of the fall of 2022, 348 individuals (321 athletes, 16 coaches and 11 benefactors) have been elected to the Hall of Fame.
The former Hall of Fame room on the second floor of the Lund Center was originally partially endowed by the families of both Dwight Holcombe's (the only father/son combination holding membership in the Hall). The hardwood plaque upon which the individual plates are permanently displayed, now in the Hall of Champions, was donated by the family of former football coach and Hall of Fame member Jocko Nelson, who passed away in 1978.
C. Carlson
Football
Inducted: 1989
There could be no more fitting tribute to Henry Carlson in the golden anniversary of his graduation from Gustavus than his election to the Hall of Fame. Carlson was a student on the George Myrum teams of the mid-1930s. During his four years on the squad, from 1935 to 1938, the Gusties ran up a record of 21-2-2, capturing two uncontested MIAC championships, a co- championship and a second-place finish. As a member of teams that included fewer than 30 years (as opposed to the 100+ that play for the Gusties today), Carlson assumed the unenviable duties of tackle on both the offensive and defensive lines. His blood, sweat, toil and tears counted for plenty, however, given both the team's record and the all-conference honors alvarded Carlson in his junior and senior years.
He was also blessed with luck his senior year, as he was one of two players travelling back from a game in Wisconsin by car when the team bus smashed into a truck at Belle Plaine, killing three. After graduating in 1939, Carlson went to work for Standard Oil of Indiana, where he worked for three years before being called up forwar duty by the Army.
He resumed his career in the petroleum industry after World War II, going to work for Amoco Oil, where he was employed for 29 years. He retired in 1975 and now lives with his wife Arleen, a retired legal secretary, in Amery, WI. They have two children: Richard, 42; and Cheryl, 38.