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Kristin Anderson discusses new football stadium, history of athletic facilities in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Kristin Anderson — a sports architecture expert, Augsburg College archivist, and art history professor — recently spoke with Minnesota Public Radio host Cathy Wurzer about the Twin Cities’ athletic stadium history.

The Vikings football franchises’ new U.S. Bank Stadium will celebrate its grand opening in approximately one month, and Anderson provided context on how the facility continues some local legacies while innovating in other regards.

Listen to, “U.S. Bank Stadium marks a new chapter in stadium history” on the MPR website to learn more.

The Post Game includes Lute Olson ’56 in list of notable North Dakota athletes

the post game - logoSports news site The Post Game recently included former Augsburg College basketball player and legendary coach Lute Olson ’56 in an article about notable athletes from North Dakota.

Olson was born and raised near the Minnesota-North Dakota border before attending Augsburg. After graduating, he went on to become the head coach of the University of Arizona men’s basketball team. As the article points out, Olson’s teams made it to the Final Four a total of five times, winning the national title in 1997.

Read 9 Notable Athletes From North Dakota: Carson Wentz, Phil Jackson And More on the Post Game site.

Stan Nelson ’43 to receive Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award

Legendary Minnesota athlete and coach Stan Nelson ’43 will add another honor to his career, having earned the Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award  from the National Football Foundation. The award, named after the former Minnesota Vikings coach, will be given at the ninth Minnesota Football Honors event April 17.

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.

National Football Foundation’s Minnesota chapter honors Missy Strauch

National Football Foundation - logoThe Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation recently announced that it will award Missy Strauch, head athletic trainer at Augsburg College, with the Fred Zamberletti Award. The award, named after the famed Minnesota Vikings athletic trainer, will be given in recognition of Strauch’s decades of service across all levels of Minnesota athletics.

Strauch will receive the award at the NFF’s annual Minnesota Football Honors event on April 17.

Read the announcement on the NFF Minnesota site.

 

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder interviews Jennifer Jacobs on diversity in athletic administration

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder - logoThe Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder recently interviewed Jennifer Jacobs, assistant athletic director at Augsburg College, for an article on the challenges present as colleges seek to increase the diversity of their coaching and administrative staff.

In the article, Jacobs discusses some of the steps higher education administration can take to create a pipeline for people of diverse backgrounds to enter leadership roles. She notes that it is important for institutions to encourage women to seize new opportunities and to promote candid conversations on difficult topics like race.

“[Schools] need to find and foster the female student athletes that would want to get into coaching, administration — you name it, all the way up to the presidential level,” Jacobs said.

Read Navigating through Minnesota Nice on the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder site.

Jennifer Jacobs and Rob Harper ’16 interviewed on diversity in college athletics

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder - logoThe Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder recently included comments from Jennifer Jacobs, assistant athletic director at Augsburg College, and student athlete Rob Harper ’16 in an article on the struggle to increase the diversity of coaching and administrative staff at NCAA schools. The article is a response to pro-diversity resolutions passed at the league’s annual conference last month.

In the article, Jacobs acknowledged that the drive for inclusion and diversity must start at the top. “Athletic directors and assistant athletic directors can’t feel empowered unless it comes from the presidents,” she said.

Jacobs added that “…people in general will hire people that look like them. The only way to counteract that is [that] you have to be intentional in your hiring practice.”

Harper, a sociology major and member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council, discussed his experience attending the conference and interest in observing the league’s voting process.

Read Moving from talk to action on diversity and inclusion on the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder site.

KSTP reports on $400,000 grant for Augsburg Ice Arena

Screen Shot 2015-02-06 at 1.39.40 PMKSTP recently reported that the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission awarded more than $2 million in grants to area communities to build new ice arenas or improve existing arenas. Augsburg College was awarded a $400,000 grant for Augsburg Ice Arena. According an announcement on the MASC website, the grant will be used to eliminate the use of R-22, a greenhouse gas with a high ozone depletion potential, from the arena’s cooling system.

Read: Program Gives More Than $2M in Grants to Improve Minn. Ice Arenas on the KSTP site.

Star Tribune reports on Augsburg College’s participation in
Ripken Foundation field day

Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Star Tribune recently published an article covering a field day held in north Minneapolis by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in partnership with Minneapolis Jeep Dealers. The event paired roughly 50 young athletes with coaches and players from Augsburg College’s baseball team as well as athletes from the University of Minnesota. Minnesota Twins mascot TC Bear also participated, at one point serving as a soccer goalie.

According to the article, the Maryland-based Ripken Foundation develops youth programs and partners with cities to create parks in distressed communities. Augsburg baseball head coach Keith Bateman is quoted as saying of the young participants in the multi-sport event, “They might not remember some of the stuff we say, but hopefully they remember when they think back [and say] man, I really had a good time. I want to do that when I get older.”

Read: Ripken Foundation brings together college athletes, local kids for field day on the Star Tribune site.

Olivia Muyres ’15 named in Post-Bulletin’s local sports notebook

PostBulletinOlivia Muyres ’15 has been named National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire Division III All-North Region.

Earlier Muyres had been named first-team all-conference in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. She was also named the league’s Player of the Year.

To read more about her achievements, visit the Post-Bulletin news site.

Olivia Muyres ’15 named Player of the Year

PostBulletinOlivia Muyres ’15 was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.

Muyres, who helped Augsburg win its first MIAC championship, was featured in the Rochester Post-Bulletin for her accomplishments in the Nov. 22 NCAA Division III Tournament. Muyres scored the winning goal in overtime during the first game.

To read more about her achievements, visit the Post-Bulletin news site.