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.
Sara Illies
Basketball and Volleyball
Inducted: 2000
As captain of the most successful volleyball team in Gustavus history, Sara Johnson Illies helped guide the nationally ranked Gustie Bees to a 45-8 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1984 where they fell to eventual national champion UC-San Diego in the quarterfinals. Illies was a three-year letterwinner for the volleyball team, earning all-conference honors her senior year, and she was instrumental in helping Gustavus compile a record of 83-25-3 during the two years that she was the team's starting setter. In addition to her contributions on the volleyball court, Illies was also a standout on the basketball court where she was a four-year starter as a point guard and set the school record for assists in a game with 16 (a record that still stands). At the time she graduated, Illies held the record for career assists with 337 as well as the record for assists in a season with 125. She currently ranks third in career assists and third in assists in a season.
After graduating with a degree in biology, Illies worked as a research associate with Molecular Genetics, Inc. from 1985-89 and then moved on to become a lab technician with Gold 'n Plump Poultry from 1989-1995. Since 1995, she has been at home devoting her time to her four children. Sara lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with her husband, Marc '85, and their children, Connor (10), Claire (8), Becca (5), and Kaia (1).