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.

Baseball, Basketball, and Football

Inducted: 1978

Arver Thorne '35 won nine letters while at Gustavus - three each in baseball, basketball and football. He played first base with two championship baseball teams. He played forward in basketball and lead the conference in scoring in 1934. That same year he was a forward for an All-State team which met and defeated the Harlem Globe Trotters. He played quarterback for three years and was a member of the championship team in 1933.
Completing his studies in less than four years, he coached at Kennedy, Minn., and Ironwood, Mich., before serving overseas in World War II. He was a long-time employee of Brown and Bigelow in St. Paul and before his retirement.