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.
Reuben Youngdahl
Basketball and Football
Inducted: 1978
Reuben Youngdahl '31 earned six letters in basketball and football at Gustavus and was placed unanimously on every All-State team in basketball as a junior and senior, He was the league's high scorer as a senior with 117 points in ten games. Reub led the All-State team to victory in 1931 when they played the Carleton Victory Five in a post season game in the Minneapolis auditorium.
He received his B.D. from Augustana Theological Seminary in 1934 and at his first call in Marshalltown, Ia, he helped support himself by playing professional basketball. He became pastor of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis in 1938 and during his tenure the congregation grew from 300 to more than 10,000 members. He traveled internationally, spoke to a wide audience through his radio and television programs and wrote 13 books.
Reuben Youngdahl died on March 2, 1968.