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.
Gary Reinholtz
(benefactor)
Inducted: 2004
The first full-time athletic trainer for the Gustavus athletic department, Gary Reinholtz started the athletic training major at the College in 1976. The Madison, Wis., native served as head athletic trainer for 22 years and retired last spring as the program director for the athletic training major in the Department of Health and Exercise Science.
A graduate of Mankato State University, Gary has been a driving force in the athletic training profession regionally as well as nationally. His research at the University of Washington in the mid-'70s led to the publication of the first programmed text for use in athletic training curriculums. He then moved on to Gustavus where he began developing one of the top undergraduate athletic training programs in the country. While at Gustavus, Reinholtz has mentored hundreds of students in the athletic training program and treated approximately 7,000 student-athletes. He is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a benefactor.
In addition to his responsibilities at Gustavus, Reinholtz has been involved in the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association (MATA), the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association (GLATA), and the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). He served as a president of MATA from 1983 to 1985 and vice president of GLATA from 1984 to 1986. Through his involvement with MATA, Gary drafted the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Act, which was signed into law by Governor Arne Carlson in 1993. In 1996, Reinholtz was recognized for his service to the athletic training profession by being named to the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame as well as receiving the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from NATA.
Since retiring from Gustavus, Gary has started a new career as a financial consultant and is currently a financial associate for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in St. Peter. He lives in St. Peter with his wife Brenda (Larson '69) and is stepfather to Stacy Nelson and Grant Fritz.