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.
Dave Underdale
Ice Hockey
Inducted: 2015
An ironman who played in every game of his collegiate career, Dave Underdale graduated as the most productive defenseman in the history of the Gustavus men’s hockey program. With 116 appearances, he is a member of an exclusive group of only five Golden Gustie hockey players who saw the ice in at least 115 games. Named the team’s Freshman of the Year after the 1980–81 season, the blueliner continued to grow throughout his four years at Gustavus. In his final year wearing the Three Crowns (1983–84), the captain exploded for 15 goals and 20 assists to lead Gustavus to a MIAC Championship. Underdale was named to the West Region Senior All-Star Team and was one of only two NCAA Division III players to compete in the East-West College All-Star Classic. A two-time all-conference performer (1983, 1984), he was also
named to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-America team in 1984.
Underdale completed his standout career as the all-time leader in scoring by a defenseman with 27 goals and 78 assists for 105 points (a record that still stands today). He helped the Gusties compile an overall record of 77–38–1 during his tenure including advancing to the NCAA tournament three times (1981, 1982, 1983) and finishing third at the NCAA Division II-III Frozen Four in Lowell, Mass. in 1982.
An accounting major at Gustavus, Underdale is now a senior vice president for Allied Solutions, a subsidiary of Securian Financial Group. He has shared his passion for hockey with the next generation, serving as the head boys’ varsity hockey coach at Rochester High School in Michigan from 2007–2011. The father of adult children Ashley and Brett, Dave now lives in White Bear Lake, Minn. with Johnna Ashton and her daughter, Kennedy.