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.
Kenneth Quist
Baseball and Football
Inducted: 1988
Like Gene Payne, Kenny Quist was part of the Hollingsworth tradition of triumph during the late 1940s. As a member of the last teams employing the old one-platoon system (in which men at the college level played both offense and defense), Quist saw action on offense as center and on defense as linebacker. It was at the latter position that Kenny won all-MIAC honors for the 1950 MIAC championship campaign, the first year the Gusties employed the two-platoon system, and the year that the team went on to play in the postseason Refrigerator Bowl.
Kenny didn't limit himself to football, however. He played for Jiggs Westergard's Gustie baseball team in 1949 and 1950, doing outfield duty in his first year and alternating between catcher and first base in his second.
Kenny's determination on the playing fields of Gustavus has served him well in his life since then. He was director of scientific services at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA, until 1986, and now works part-time at several small animal clinics. His wife Lois worked for many years as a reading paraprofessional for the DeKalb County school system. They have three children: Peter, Steven, and Thomas.