Gustavus Adolphus Football

 

            Gustavus Adolphus College athletics has a very long tradition and football has contributed greatly to that history.  Starting in 1902, football has been at the forefront of the athletic scene at the college.  17 coaches have spanned the 108 years of football and have resulted in an overall 458-314-21 record.  With a winning percentage of .591, 22 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles have been won.  Gustavus is second only to Saint John’s in titles won. 

 

        Football began at Gustavus with the work of Reverend Chouinard.  In 1902 a team was formed and played one game.  With a victory in that game, excitement for the next season arose.  In the 1903 season, the team played four games and had a 1-2-1 record.  Reverend Chouinard was the head coach and received credit for forming the first football team at Gustavus.  Despite the early successes of the team, the church at Gustavus banned football for the next 13 years due to the large amount of injuries that occur during the games.  After an amendment to the rules of football and the size of the field, the school was able to create another team in 1917. 


        In 1920 the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was formed with the aim at being a sports conference where student-athletes are truly students first.  On March 15th Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University, Macalester College, St. John’s University, St. Olaf College and the University of St. Thomas became the charter members and the conference was born.  After some rearranging, the MIAC football conference as we know it today formed including Augsburg College, Bethel University and Concordia College along with the charter members.  Throughout the years, the MIAC has proven to be one of the toughest conferences in the nation and has competed well with the entire country.  Gustavus is proud to be included in such a prestigious conference and has shown that it belongs with its 22 MIAC Championships.

Since the creation of the MIAC, the Gustavus football team has had its ups and downs along with any other team.  There have been great years and there have been mediocre years.  A look throughout the years shows the changing trends in the game along with the similarities.  This site attempts to capture some of those differences while giving you a look into the personal accounts of a few alumni.  This is by no means the complete history of football at Gustavus but it highlights some of the great accomplishments of the grand tradition that is Gustavus Adolphus College football. 

  1. -Football Rosters and Statistics

  2. -Interviews with Football Alumni

The Gustavian 2008

The Gustavian 1921