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.
Jay Klagge
Basketball
Inducted: 2011
As comfortable driving to the basket and dishing off to a teammate as he was pulling up and making a three-point basket, point guard Jay Klagge helped the Gustavus men's basketball team return to national prominence in the early 1990s. Klagge was the quarterback of Gustie squads that were co-champions of the MIAC in 1991 and 1992 and won MIAC Playoff Titles in 1989 and 1992. The team also made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament (1989, 1992) including advancing to the "Sweet Sixteen" in 1992 where they lost to eventual national champion Calvin College 69-68 in front of a standing room only crowd at Gus Young Court. Klagge was a two-time All-Conference selection (1991, 1992) and in his senior season the league coaches selected him as the MIAC's Most Valuable Player becoming only the third player in the program's history to receive that honor following Jim Chalin who was selected in 1976 and Jay Coatta in 1987. A fixture in the line-up for four seasons, Klagge started all 109 games of his collegiate career and graduated as the tenth all-time leading scorer with 1,324 points. He also ranked second all-time in assists with 328 and seventh in free throws made with 319. During Klagge's standout career, the Gusties compiled a record of 69-40 overall and 55-25 in the MIAC, including an impressive 41-8 mark at Gus Young Court.
After graduating cum laude in 1992 with majors in history and geography, Klagge began teaching social studies and coaching cross country, tennis, and basketball at Winona Senior High School (his alma mater). In 1997, he accepted a teaching position at Hayfield High School where he continued to coach tennis and basketball. He also received his master's in education at Saint Mary's University in 1997. Since 2001, Klagge has been teaching AP Human Geography and AP Government and coaching tennis at Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, Colorado. Jay lives in Loveland with his wife Jennifer (Tartaglia '92) and their children Zachary, Anthony, and Marit.