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.
Chester Thompson
Baseball
Inducted: 1988
Few figures were as impressive on the court at Gustavus as Chet Thompson. Chet helped lay down the law for the Gustie basketball team during his years as a forward for coaches Tuddie Lindenberg and George Myrum. Thanks in large part to Chet's leadership, Gustavus went from a 10-9 record and a sixth-place MIAC finish in 1933 to a 16-4 record and second place in 1935. Chet's individual efforts were rewarded with a spot on the all-conference second team in 1934 and on the first team in 1935.
After graduating, Chet assisted Coach Myrum for a year and then went on to coach at high school in Mabel and Faribault, and at the junior college level in Crosby-Ironton. He left athletics in 1945 to work as a sales representative for Jostens, where he stayed until his retirement in 1973. During that period, he and his wife Maxine raised three children, David, Susan, and Karen. Since then, Chet and Maxine have lived in Estes Park, CO, and Sun City, AZ, while also having travelled extensively as members of the Arizona Airstream Club.