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.
Jay Schoenebeck
Football and Track & Field
Inducted: 2000
A four-year starter for the Golden Gusties at left halfback from 1976 until 1979, Jay Schoenebeck earned National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America honors as well as Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) honors in 1979, his senior season. He still holds the school records for yards rushing in a single game with 239 and most touchdowns scored in a game with four, and he is one of only six players in Gustavus football history to run for 1,000 yards in a single season (1,005 in 1979). Schoenebeck ranks first in Gustavus football history in career touchdowns scored (37), first in points scored (224), third in all-purpose yards (3,945) and sixth in rushing (2,471). He is also the only Gustie football player to compile over 1,000 yards rushing (2,471) and 1,000 yards receiving (1,041) in his career. In addition to participating in football, Jay was also a four-year letterwinner in track and field where he ran the 440-yard dash.
After graduating with a major in physical education and health, Schoenebeck began a teaching and coaching career that has led him to Bayport High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, South Dakota State University, and Gustavus. He has served on the Gustavus staff three different times, including receivers coach from 1981-85, offensive coordinator from 1988-90, and head coach from 1994 to the present. He has directed the Gusties to a record of 19-8 over the past three seasons including second- and fourth-place finishes in the MIAC the last two years. Jay, who is single, lives in St. Peter.