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.
Vic Pedersen
Football
Inducted: 1978
Victor A, Pedersen '50 was named an All-State tackle and to the Scandinavian All American team in 1940, He served in the U.S. Army from 1941-45, played football for the first three years and was named to the All West Coast team in 1942 and 1943. He returned to Gustavus during the fall of 1946 and was captain of the team, named All State, Little All American and Scandinavian All American. He signed with the Detroit Lions in 1947 and played with them for one season. He then returned to Gustavus where he served as assistant football coach, graduating in 1950.
He was head football coach at Upsala College 1950-53, head football coach at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, 1953-55, and football coach at West High School in Minneapolis 1955-57. In 1957 he joined John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co, as manager of its group office, first in Des Moines, Ia., and then in Minneapolis. He retired in December 1974 and moved to St. Peter in 1975.