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.
Cynthia Kraemer
Tennis
Inducted: 2000
The first women's tennis player from Gustavus to earn All-America honors, Cindy Kraemer burst onto the scene in her freshman season by winning state and regional titles at #1 singles. She was the first women's tennis player at Gustavus to qualify for the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women's (AIAW) National Championship, which was held in Santa Barbara, California, and she won three matches before losing in the round of 16. Kraemer, who went undefeated the entire year until losing at the national tournament, finished her freshman season with a mark of 19-1. The next three years were much the same as she finished in the top three at the state and regional tournament each season and advanced to the national tournament each year as well. Kraemer, who served as captain all four years for the Gusties, finished her career as a four-time All-American and compiled an overall record of 67-15. In her senior season, Kraemer and her teammates finished third at the Region Tournament qualifying the team for the AIAW National Tournament for the first time in the program's history.
After graduating with a major in economics, Kraemer began a career in sales starting with Reliastar Insurance and continuing with Spinnaker Software and the Compendium Corporation. She is currently the owner and chief executive officer of Above Par, which specializes in organizing charity and corporate golf events in Belmont, Massachusetts. Cindy and her husband, Paul, live in Sudbury, Massachusetts, with their children, Katie (11) and Peter (7).