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.

Gus Young

Basketball

Inducted: 1978

Gus Young had a colorful eight year career at Gustavus and as coach was an irrepressible sort of person, full of optimism, ideas and daring. It was during his reign that Jon Hutton's Hamline Pipers were dethroned as the perennial champions of the MIAC. It took Gus a season to get-acquainted and then three years as runners-up before he became the league's dominant personality with a three year championship run - - 1954, 1955, 1956. His overall conference record was 82 wins and 34 losses. His teams played colleges from 20 different states, and he believed that sports had a great part to play in the development of a boy's character so his teams always looked and acted the part of a gentleman. Gus loved showmanship. In his typical fun-loving manner, he introduced fancy warm-up drills with multi-colored basketballs, a tuxedo-suited pep band, half-time variety shows that featured a 100-voice male chorus and spotlighted flag ceremonies. He was a basketball impresario. Gus graduated from Carleton College in 1932 and was captain of the famous Victory Five, a basketball team which lost only one game in three years. His coaching years, prior to Gustavus, included time at Warroad, Buffalo, Hutchinson and Austin high schools and Carleton College and the University of Minnesota. He was in the bowling alley and restaurant business for many years and was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Gus died on October 31, 1977.