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.
Donald Hausken
Football and Wrestling
Inducted: 1987
Don Hausken was a standout on the great Lloyd Hollingsworth football teams of the 1950s. Don joined the team in his freshman year of 1952 and quickly earned a starting spot in the Gustie backfield. The team that year finished as co-champion of the MIAC, and over the next three years Don would lead Gustavus to another co-championship and two outright titles. The Gusties' leading rusher from his halfback position, Don was voted to the all-MIAC team in 1953 and 1954 and served with Jack Henderson as team captain in 1955.
Don's athletic skills were not confined to the football field, however. He excelled on the mats at the middleweight levels for coach Don Slarks' 1955 and 1956 Gustavus wrestling teams. An Omega Kappa and a double major in physical education and biology. Don has gone on to serve as a high school health and physical education teacher in his hometown of Annandale, Minnesota. His wife Carole works as a registered nurse at the Retirement Center of Wright County. Together they have raised five children: Kendra, 30; Kurt. 28; Julie, 26; Timothy 22; and Jeffrey, 17.