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.
Mark Hanson
Basketball
Inducted: 1998
The most prolific scorer in Gustavus basketball history, Mark Hanson compiled 1,774 points in 94 games from 1979 to 1983. He is the only Golden Gustie basketball player to ever be named to the all-conference team four times and one of only a handful of players in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history to be so honored.
Hanson shot 51.4% from the field and 79.5% from the free throw line in his career. Both marks rank among the top five in the program's history. Statistically, Hanson's finest season was his junior year when he led the MIAC in scoring with an average of 20.4 points per game and helped the Gusties to a third place league finish.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) named him to its All-America team in both 1982 and 1983. An excellent student, Hanson was named to both the CoSIDA Academic All-America team and the NAIA Academic All-America squad in 1983.
After graduating magna cum laude with a major in environmental studies, Mark spent a year playing professional basketball in Sweden and then returned to Minnesota in 1986 and enrolled in graduate school at Mankato State University. While in graduate school, Hanson was an assistant basketball coach for the Gusties. He completed his master's work in 1988 and was named the Head Basketball Coach at Gustavus in 1990.
Since becoming the head coach, Hanson has directed the Gusties to four MIAC titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He has been named MIAC Coach of the Year five times and his 1997-98 squad was the most successful team in school history compiling a record of 26-4. His career record is 152-64.
Mark and his wife, Deb Johnson live in St. Peter with their children Hans and Annika.