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.
Donald Roberts
Baseball, Basketball, and Football
Inducted: 1985
An outstanding high school basketball player from Appleton, Minnesota, Don Roberts has gone on to enjoy success in a number of other sports as well. Don lettered in his first two years in basketball and also won a letter in baseball as a sophomore, but football was his forte. He lettered four years while competing ior Coach Lloyd Hoilingsworth, playing on three championship teams and earning all-MIAC honors as a fullback in his senior season.
After graduating from Gustavus in 1956, Don went on to coach baseball and football for the Marines at Camp Pendleton before returning to Gustavus in 1959 to coach baseball (1960-64) and football (1961-65). In 1964 he restarted the hockey program at the college and, by the 1965-66 season, developed a conference champion. Since that time his teams have won 12 MIAC titles (including eight straight starting in '65-66) and he has been named conference coach-of-the-year four times and earned national honors twice.
Don, who remains a member of the college's physical education faculty, lives in St. Peter with his wife, Nancy; their four children include two who have followed their father in playing football for the Gusties.