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. Hanson
Baseball, Basketball, and Football
Inducted: 1980
C. Fred Hanson '20 participated in many areas of athletics as a student and captained the baseball, basketball and football teams. He was named center on the very first All-State basketball team. He was fullback on the football team and played third base in baseball. He was also a member of the tennis team.
Fred started at Gustavus in 1915 and served in World War I from 1918-19 for which he was decorated with a Purple Heart. Following graduation in 1920 he was an athletic coach and teacher in Morris, Upsala, and at Phyllis Wheatly and Pillsbury-Waite Settlement Houses before entering law school.
He received his LLB from Univ. of Minn. in 1926, practiced law for a time in St. Paul, and moved to Alexandria in December 1928 where he was an attorney until his retirement in 1974. He also served as County Attorney for a number of years. He is credited with drafting the education portion of the G.I. Bill of Rights, was State Commander of the American Legion, and served on several American Legion comnittees, and served for eight years on the State Board of Parole.
Fred Hanson died on December 8, 1975. He is survived by his wife, Dagny.