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.
Terry Cottingham
Soccer
Inducted: 1994
Terry Cottingham, a prolific scorer in the early days of soccer at Gustavus is more than qualified to be the first soccer player to be inducted into the Gustavus Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Gustie soccer program was beginning its third season of competition in 1969, and its first season competing in the MIAC when Cottingham arrived in St. Peter. The Gusties went on to win the MIAC title in each of Cottingham's four seasons compiling a MIAC record of 29-1-4.
Terry was an aggressive forward with a nose for the net as he scored 70 goals and contributed 33 assists for a career total of 173 points (two points for a goal and one point for an assist), which is still the all-time school scoring mark. He was the third leading scorer in the nation in 1970 and finished among the top ten scorers in the nation his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He was also named to the all-conference team in all four seasons and was elected captain of the squad three times.
After graduating with a degree in physical education and health, Terry started on a teaching career that has led him from Colac, Victoria, Australia, to Denver, Colorado, and Belcourt, North Dakota, before various stops in northern Minnesota. He is currently the principal at Stowe Elementary School in Duluth, Minnesota. This is his 27th year as a school principal. Terry and his wife Heidi (Lang '73) have a son, Ian.