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.
Gordon Quist
Football
Inducted: 1988
Gordon Quist was a part of a very special chapter in the history of Gustavus athletics. As was the case with professional sports, the ranks of men's collegiate athletics during World War II were depleted. With the end of the war in 1945, eighteen year-old men conscripted to fight on foreign soil returned, ready to resume their education and their athletic careers.
Gordy was one such soldier. He started at defensive end for the Gusties' 1946 MIAC championship team and the 1947 conference runner-up. Though he left Gustavus after those two years, Gordy is remembered by all who saw those Hollingsworth teams for the no-nonsense style of his defensive play.
Gordy's ties to the college remained strong. He married 1950 graduate Jan Wampler, they had five children, Greg, Gary, Mike, Jennifer, and Amy. Greg, Gary, and Mike all are Gustie grads. Gordy passed away in 1968, and his induction into the Gustavus Athletic Hall of Fame is a tribute to one remembered by those who knew him as an honorable and courageous man.