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.
LaDue Lurth
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, and Track & Field
Inducted: 1979
At Gustavus, LaDue "Dewey" Lurth '28 was a four-year letterwinner on the football, basketball and baseball team as well as a three-year letterwinner on the track team. He was a member of two championship basketball teams, and one each in baseball and track. Twice he was named All-Conference Halfback in football and All-Conference Guard in basketball. Dewey was also named best catcher in the conference in baseball one year, and he placed second in the running broad jump the year Gustavus won its first conference championship in track.
Following graduation from Gustavus Dewey was employed by George Myrum at Canadian Border Lodge in Ely from 1928-36. After that, he operated his own houseboat on Knife Lake in the summer and was weighmaster for Northwestern Fuel Co. in Minneapolis from 1936-40.
After being employed by Oliver Mines in Ely from 1940-41, he was worked from 1941-1942 for Bechtel, Price, Callahan on an oil pipeline project in the Northwest Territories designed to more closely connect the Alaska Territory to the continental U.S. Then, Dewey operated a restaurant in St. Peter from 1943-46, was manager of Land O'Lakes, St. Peter, from 1946-49, and worked in sales for Cargill and Valley Farm Service from 1949-66. He spent the next ten years with Tackle Shop & Store Charter Service (asalmon fishing operation off Ocean Shores, Wash.) before retiring.
He and his wife, Margaret, had five children, Richard '57, Barbara '58, William, James, and Diane.