Nelson had a successful athletic career at Augsburg College, having earned letters in football, golf, baseball, and basketball. In 1942, he served as the football team captain and was named all-MIAC. After graduating from Augsburg, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and began a career as a coach. He held coaching positions in Zumbrota, Farmington, and Anoka, where he coached for 26 years.

Read Award in honor of Bud Grant to go to Anoka legendary coach on the ABC Newspapers site.

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In the article, Lockwood, a former coach in the Golden Valley and Hopkins school districts, tells of meeting legendary baseball player Rod Carew through one of his players. “My player used to cut Rod Carew’s grass when Rod lived in Golden Valley,” he said. “So I went over to the house and introduced myself. Pretty soon, Rod would come out to our practices and give the kids tips.”

The article also includes the stories of Lockwood’s run-ins with Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway and baseball great Sammy Sosa.

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Legendary Auggie coach, athlete and instructor Edor Nelson ’38 died August 27 at the age of 100. Nelson, who led the Auggie football and baseball teams for nearly four decades, died only nine days after a centennial birthday celebration at Augsburg where hundreds of friends and Auggies turned out to honor him. Nelson’s birthday celebration and his death have garnered strong media attention. Coverage of Nelson’s birthday party and incredible life include:

• KMSP Fox 9: Augsburg legend Edor Nelson turns 10
• Pioneer Press:
• WCCO 4:
• Bring Me the News: Longtime Augsburg college coach Edor Nelson dies at 100
• Examiner.com: Edor Nelson, founder of Augsburg College wrestling program, dies at 100
• KARE 11: Legendary Augsburg coach Edor Nelson dies
• KMSP Fox 9: Legendary coach, American hero Edor Nelson dies at 100
• Star Tribune: Former Augsburg coach Edor Nelson dies at 100
• WCCO 4:

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Read more .

Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students. All Augsburg students, faculty and staff receive free admission (with Augsburg ID) to all Augsburg home regular-season events, but must have a ticket to enter the stadium.

Tickets can be purchased or picked up in person at the Augsburg athletic office in Si Melby Hall from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday (10/7). St. Thomas fans can purchase tickets at the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex ticket office beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Tickets must be purchased or picked up in person; no phone or online sales will be permitted.

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It will certainly a busier-than-normal Thursday for the Augsburg College athletic department.

Here’s a quick primer on what’s going on.

Soccer to face Whitworth University in first NCAA appearance

After losing the championship game of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs to Carleton on penalty kicks, the Auggies received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III men’s soccer championship.

Augsburg (11-3-6) will travel to Spokane, Wash., to play Whitworth University (14-2-3) at 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner of that game will play at the University of Redlands (Calif.) on Sunday.

Whitworth enters the NCAA tournament after winning the Northwest Conference for the second consecutive year and the Pirates are making their fifth NCAA appearance since 2001.

Augsburg has been especially stingy defensively entering the NCAA tournament as the Auggies haven’t given up a goal in the past 490 minutes of action. In the MIAC championship game, Carleton didn’t score in regulation or in two overtime sessions.

Over the last 12 games, Augsburg has given up only three goals. For the season, Augsburg has surrendered just 10 goals while scoring 32.

Christensen Center Student Lounge at 3 p.m. Popcorn, pop and, beads will be provided. Feel free to bring snacks or treats to share!

Football is back at its second home

For the 19th consecutive season, Augsburg will play a game at the Metrodome. This year, the Auggies will host Bethel on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be the 22nd appearance at the Metrodome since 1983, the most of any MIAC school.

The game against the Royals is an important one for Augsburg as the Auggies (5-4) will attempt to win six games for the first time since 1999.

While the game won’t be played at Edor Nelson Field, tickets for the Metrodome game will be handled just like a game on the Augsburg campus. That means all Augsburg students, faculty and staff members can get into the game by simply showing ID. Tickets for the general public are $7 for adults and $3 for students.

There will be a free one-way shuttle bus from Augsburg to the Metrodome. The bus will leave from the front of Melby Hall at 6 and 6:30 p.m.

Free parking is available on the Metrodome upper lot, off of 11th Ave. S., near the intersection of 5th St. S. Fans can enter the Metrodome at Gate D beginning at 5:30 p.m. All fan seating will be on the east side of the field.

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The Auggie football team, under third-year head coach Frank Haege, finished 5-5 overall (3-5 MIAC), marking the first time Augsburg had reached the .500 mark since 2003 (5-5 overall, 4-4 MIAC). With its five victories this season, Augsburg also eclipsed its number of wins from the previous three seasons combined (4-26). Along the way, the Auggies claimed several huge victories, including a 14-13 triumph at No. 10-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) on Oct. 6, and a 44-38 win over Gustavus on Oct. 27, breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Gusties.

Quarterback Jordan Berg (JR, Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) set single-season school records in every passing category, completing 291 passes for 3,444 yards and 34 touchdowns this season.  One-hundred-one of Berg’s passes were caught by receiver Royce Winford (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS), who recorded 1,403 receiving yards and a single-season school-record 16 touchdowns.

The Augsburg women’s soccer team, under ninth-year head coach Mike Navarre, finished 9-7-3 overall, 7-3-1 in MIAC play, earning a spot in the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. The Auggies fell to St. Benedict in the conference semifinal match. The Auggies claimed several key wins during the season, including a 1-0 triumph over Macalester on Oct. 3, breaking a 12-game winless streak to the Scots.

Goalkeeper Maggie DeGroot (JR, Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West HS), who tied the school’s career record for shutouts with 26, was named to the All-MIAC first team, while Felicia Faison (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS), Whitney Holman (SO, New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and Jackie Keller (SR, Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City West HS) were named honorable-mention all-conference. DeGroot was also named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, and Keller earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 second team for the second straight year.

The Augsburg men’s soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Greg Holker, finished 9-9-0 overall, 5-5-0 in MIAC play this season, its second straight .500-or-better campaign under head coach Greg Holker. The Auggie senior class finished with a 35-31-7 record, the best mark for any four-year class at Augsburg since the 1981 senior class.

Defender Nick Manders (SR, De Pere, Wis./West De Pere HS) and midfielder James See (JR, Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS) were named to the All-MIAC first team, with defender Kelsey Duerr (SO, Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) being named honorable-mention all-conference. Cassidy Duerr (JR, Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, and Manders and Alex Hildebrandt (SO, St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 squads, Manders to the first team and Hildebrandt to the second team.

The Augsburg volleyball team, under third-year head coach Jessica Rinehart, finished 13-16 overall, 4-7 in MIAC play. Augsburg finished its season with its best record in both overall and MIAC play since the 1998 campaign (17-11 overall, 6-5 MIAC). The Auggies won four of their last five matches to close the season, including a win in five games over NCAA Division III national tournament team Bethel on Oct. 20.

Middle hitter Laura Harms (Jr., Little Falls, Minn.) and Haley Bower (Sr., Brainerd, Minn.) received MIAC honors, as Harms was named to the MIAC All-Conference team and Bower was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. A transfer from Division I Mercer (Ga.), Harms made an immediate impact as a middle hitter in her first season with the Auggies, leading the team in both kills (376, 3.55 per-game) and blocks (110, 13 solo, 1.04 per-game), while also contributing 167 digs and 32 service aces. Bower, a libero, led the Auggies in digs (558, 5.42 per-game), while also contributing 35 service aces.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams experienced a season of personal bests in 2007, with 37 personal-best times recorded by Auggie runners this season. As a team, the Auggie men finished ninth at the MIAC Championships and 15th at the NCAA Division III Central Regional (its best team finish since 2004), while the Auggie women placed 12th at the conference meet and 21st at the regional.

Brent Haglund (SO, Fridley, Minn.) led the Auggie men throughout the season, capping the year with a personal-best 26:00 time over 8,000 meters at the regional, finishing 20th overall. Chris Scribner (JR, New York, N.Y./Port Townsen HS) also had a solid year, finishing 34th at the conference meet and 62nd at the regional with a personal-best 26:53. Shane Wyborny (SO, Detroit Lakes, Minn.) finished 47th at the conference meet and 70th at the regional with a 27:04, personal-best time.

On the women’s side, two newcomers led the way throughout the season. Jennifer Lovering (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) improved her 6,000-meter time from 1:56 from the beginning to the end of the season, with a 23:50, 51st-place finish at the regional. Kim Carlson (FY, New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) also showed strong improvement from beginning to end, cutting her time by 1:39 to a season-ending 25:41.

With no seniors and three first-year athletes on the roster, the Augsburg women’s golf team was a young one, but one of its athletes made program history. Johanna Frykmark (FY, Stockholm, Sweden/Rollingby Gymnasium HS) became just the second Augsburg women’s golfer to ever earn all-conference honors, finishing in a tie for 10th place overall at the conference meet in early October.

As a team, the Auggie women moved up a place to eighth in the conference meet, marking the end of the fall half of the fall-spring collegiate golf season.

The Auggie men’s golf team lost several of its top scorers to graduation last season, making this year a rebuilding one for the program. The Auggies closed the fall half of the season with an eighth-place finish at the MIAC Championships in early October.

Lucas Angrimson (FY, Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) and Andrew Womeldorf (SR, Northfield, Minn.) finished in the top 25 overall at the league meet, as Angrimson finished 19th and Womeldorf finished 23rd.

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1997 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship season

this year. An anniversary celebration will be held during the Auggies’

season-opening game against Northwestern-Roseville on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field.

The Auggies went 10-2 in 1997, reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III national playoffs. It marked just the second conference championship in football for the Auggies; the first was in 1928.

Also at the Sept. 8 Northwestern-Roseville game, Augsburg will formally

retire the No. 30 jersey of former wide receiver Scott Hvistendahl.

Hvistendahl currently serves as an assistant coach at Northwestern.

Hvistendahl was one of the top receivers in NCAA Division III history

during his career at Augsburg (1995-98), earning multiple All-American

honors and winning the Gagliardi Trophy as Division III’s outstanding

player in 1998. He caught 285 passes for 4,696 career receiving yards,

breaking the NCAA all-divisions record for receiving yardage, then held

by NFL legend Jerry Rice, in the final game of his career in 1998.

Hvistendahl currently stands third in Division III history in career

receiving yardage, sixth in career receptions and 20th in career receiving

touchdowns (40). He still appears in 16 different record categories

in the Division III record book. Among NCAA players in all divisions,

Hvistendahl currently stands sixth in career receiving yardage and 21st

in career receptions.

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