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.
Tari Riley
Gymnastics
Inducted: 2001
Tari Gould Riley's first gymnastic performance at Gustavus took place when she was nine years old, so it was only natural that the child prodigy of head coach Nancy Baker would end up in St. Peter and lead the Gusties to their first national team championship. It did not take long for the Fairmont, Minnesota, native to reach the pinnacle of small college gymnastics as she led the Gusties to the AIAW Division III Championship while also winning the National All-Around title in her first year at Gustavus in 1982. Gould also claimed a national title on the uneven bars and finished second in floor exercise that same year and was named the winner of the Broderick Cup as the outstanding small college gymnast in the country. Gould helped lead the Gusties to three national championships in her four-year career, earning All-America honors five different times. She closed out her career by finishing second in the floor exercise in 1985 as the Gusties won the national team title. In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Gould received numerous academic honors. She was named the Alexis Scholar and the Swanson Scholar as the student with the highest grade point average in her junior year and senior year, and she also received the Evelyn Young Award as the senior female athlete with the highest grade point average.
After graduating as valedictorian of her class with a major in accounting, Gould became an auditor with Touche, Ross and Company in Minneapolis. In 1992, Gould returned to Fairmont to become the chief financial officer for Tech Builders Incorporated where she has remained for the past ten years. Tari and her husband, Jim, live in Fairmont with their three children, Jami (9), Robby (8), and Sasha (4).