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.
Stephen Erickson
Golf
Inducted: 2014
Steve Erickson was fixture at the top of the Gustavus men's golf team's lineup as it shined at both the conference and national levels during the late 1990s. At the conference level, the Gusties won three consecutive MIAC championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. At the NCAA championships they consistently improved during Erickson's tenure, finishing 12th in 1996, 11th in 1997, 8th in 1998, and 7th in 1999. Although he was considered to be the class clown of the bunch—lighthearted, sharp, and always quick with a joke—when the stakes were at their highest, Erickson was at his best. He earned all-conference honors three times with runner-up finishes in 1996 (with a 155) and 1997 (with a 147), and a seventh-place performance in 1998 (with a 156). With a rock-solid mind-set and a compact, repeatable, and under-control swing that allowed him to shape the ball with either a slight draw or a little fade, Erickson consistently shone under pressure on the national stage. He earned All-America distinction three times and led the Gusties at the NCAA championships in three of his four years. His All-America finishes included a fifth-place performance with a 302 in 1999, a 20th-place finish with a 301 in 1996, and a 25th-place showing in 1998
with a 297.
A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, Steve turned professional in golf after graduating with a degree in history in 1999. He spent several winters playing on various mini tours in Florida and was also the assistant golf pro at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata for two years. After playing on the Dakota Tour while working at the Le Sueur Country Club in the summer of 2002, Erickson pursued a career in sales and he now serves as the area manager of sales for Bernick's Beverages. He and his wife, Alyssa (Malinski '99), live in Maple Grove with their children, Malin and Henrik.