Concordia Sports - The First 100 Years by Finn Grinaker

"Concordia Men's Sports - The First One Hundred Years"
by Vernon Finn Grinaker
| Return to Index | Chapter 1 | 1903-1921 | 20's | 30's | 40's | 50's | 60' | 70's | 80's | 90's |
Chapter 8-- The 70's

| 1970-1971 | 1971-1972 | 1972-1973 | 1973-1974 | 1974-1975 | 1975-1976 | 1976-1977 | 1977-1978 | 1978-1979 | 1979-1980 |

1979 Football

Once again the Cobber football team earned a share of the MIAC championship in 1979 - 1980, finishing in a four-way tie with St. Olaf,, St. John’s, and St. Thomas. All four teams had 6 - 2 conference records. Five Cobbers were named to the All-Conference team — Dave Klug, Jim Klug, Jim Carter, Ralph Halvorson, and Don McCann. Receiving Honorable Mention status were Brad Struck, Paul Weida, Mark Heysse, Jay Erickson, and Jeff Holter. Dave Klug was also selected as the MVP. Team captains were Paul Weida and Dave Klug.

Another Cobber, Dave Klug, football standout at Concordia, was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League before his graduation. Klug was twice picked as All-Conference, chosen a NAIA All-American and twice named to the All-District team in NAIA District 13.

The season’s results were:
Concordia 10 Moorhead State 13
Concordia 45 Augsburg 12
Concordia 16 St. Olaf 13
Concordia 20 St. John’s 26
Concordia 45 Hamline 20
Concordia 23 Gustavus 9
Concordia 34 Macalester 13
Concordia 55 Bethel 7
Concordia 17 St. Thomas 21

On the football roster were Scott Borgstahl, Jeff Stoen, Jeff Holter, Craig Samuelson, Steve Atchison, Jeff Canakes, Tim Pavek, John Rehkamp, Dan Olson, Paul Nellermoe, Bob Olson, Mark Bruns, Jim Klug, Don McCann, Brad Larson, Ken Helland, Terry Sandven, Jay Erickson, Dave Rosengren, Jay Weyers, Ralph Halverson, Jeff Welker, Rick Balow, Chuck Brown, Greg Brolsma, Brian Kirkhorn, Mike Bursack, Tom DesSaint, Tom Myrin, Brad Struck, Pete Hennum, Bruce Rimmereid, Tim Lea, Paul Weida, Jim Carter, Mark Tommerdahl, Dwight Hintermeister, Bart Bridwell, Ron Taylor, Mark Heysse, Steve Lahti, Mark Ekman, Mike Zigler, Pete Simonson, Doug Bergland, Todd Rosengren, Dan Schroeder, Dave Klug, John Dahl, and Bob Shepley.

Conference standings were:
Concordia 6 - 2
St. Olaf 6 - 2
St. John’s 6 - 2
St. Thomas 6 - 2
Gustavus 5 - 3
Hamline 3 - 5
Augsburg 3 - 5
Bethel 1 - 7
Macalester 0 - 8

1979 Cross Country

The 1979 cross-country team included the first Cobber to achieve All-American designation by his performance in the NCAA Division III cross-country meet. John Mutschelknaus ran the national meet in a time of 24:49.6, which placed him 23rd. The first 25 finishers are given the title All-American.

At the St. John’s Invitational, John finished fourth and Rick Brandt finished 19th in a field of 200 runners. Mutschelknaus won the Bemidji State Invitational, setting a record for the five-mile course of 24:34. In the conference meet the Cobbers made their best showing ever with a fourth-place finish. The team came in eighth of 20 at the regional competition in Rock Island, Illinois. There Mutschelknaus finished sixth which qualified him for the NCAA Division III event.
Also running for Concordia were Greg O’Brian, Tom Schlotterbock, Kevin Mears, Andy Olsen, Kevin Benson, and Ron Noyce.

Meet results were:
St. John’s Invitational: 8th place
Dragon Invitational: 7th place
Bemidji State Invitational: 5th place
UND Triangular: 3rd place
MIAC Conference Meet: 4th place
Midwest Regional Championship: 8th place

1979-80 Men's Basketball

No one knew what to expect from the men’s basketball team under Coach John Eidsness as they entered the 1979 - 1980 season. All five starters from the previous year had graduated and only one member of the team had had any amount of game experience. The Cobbers finished the season with six wins, one of which cam about by a forfeit for use of an ineligible player. Despite the disappointing season, the team finished on a very high point by defeating the conference champion, Augsburg. The Cobbers ended up in 7th place in the MIAC with a 6 - 12 record.

Those on the basketball roster were Todd Enderson, Steve Knutson, Mike Swanson, Kyle Hansen, Tim Mork, Eric Larsen, Paul Dahlgren, James Knutson, Mark Streed, Claude Oppegard, Andrew Askegaard, Kerry Nelson, Kelby Krabbenhoft, Robert Dale, and Garrett Byrne.

From the scorebook —
Concordia 84 U of Winnipeg 95
Concordia 83 Mayville State 93
Concordia 81 NDSU   101
Concordia 82 Valley City State 90
Concordia 77 Moorhead State 80
Concordia 57 Eastern Montana 94
Concordia 56 U of Wyoming 98
Concordia 72 Macalester 85
Concordia 80 St. Olaf 67
Concordia 90 St. Mary’s 97
Concordia 80 Hamline 82
Concordia 66 St. John’s 69
Concordia 65 Gustavus 73
Concordia 98 St. Thomas 74
Concordia 91 Moorhead State 93
Concordia 70 Bethel   74
Concordia 63 Augsburg 69
Concordia 80 Macalester 74
Concordia 81 St. Mary’s 72
Concordia 79 St. Olaf 60
Concordia 68 Hamline 83
Concordia 77 St. John’s 83
Concordia 90 Gustavus 75
Concordia L St. Thomas 88
Concordia 82 Bethel   91
Concordia 91 Augsburg 82

1979-80 Hockey

The 1979 - 1980 Cobber hockey team had a very creditable season finishing the season with a 15 - 11 - 2 overall record and second place in the MIAC with a 12 - 3 - 1 record. Al Rice was the team coach and was named Co-Coach of the Year.. On the All-Conference team were Sheldon Vatnsdal, Steve Baumgartner, and Dave Olson. Honorable Mention Cobbers were Paul Bjorklund, Jeff Olson, Brian Vatnsdal, and John Willert.

Those on the roster were Steve Baumgartner, Dave Olson, Jeff Olson, Brian Vatnsdal, Paul Bjorklund, Kevin Johnson, Sheldon Vatnsdal, Tom Samuelson, Al Holte, Bob Hilderman, John Harlander, Tor Johnson, Don Wright, Lonnie Vatnsdal, Mark Jordahl, John Latterell, Chip Ammerman, John Willert, Dave Baker, Gary Tolkinen, John Pearson, and Randy McKay.

Hockey scores were:
Concordia 4 St. Cloud State 3
Concordia 6 St. Olaf 2
Concordia 5 Augsburg 9
Concordia 4 Gustavus 7
Concordia 4 St. Scholastica 7
Concordia 5 St. Scholastica 3
Concordia 2 UW-Superior 4
Concordia 6 UW-Superior 4
Concordia 4 Bemidji State 5
Concordia 14 Bethel   1
Concordia 14 Bethel   2
Concordia 7 St. Cloud State 5
Concordia 1 St. Olaf 5
Concordia 6 St. Olaf 4
Concordia 6 St. Mary’s 3
Concordia 5 St. Mary’s 5
Concordia 2 Hamline 2
Concordia 4 Hamline 5
Concordia 7 St. Thomas 2
Concordia 10 St. Thomas 6
Concordia 9 St. John’s 2
Concordia 5 St. John’s 4
Concordia 7 Augsburg 5
Concordia 7 Augsburg 9
Concordia 1 Bemidji State 9
Concordia 5 Gustavus 4
Concordia 4 Gustavus 7
Concordia 4 UW-River Falls 5
     (NAIA Tournament)

1979-80 Wrestling

Finn Grinaker’s 1979 - 1980 wrestling team finished a successful season with a 10 - 4 dual meet record and third place in the MIAC conference. Outstanding wrestler for the Cobbers was Molly McLeod who earned a 25 - 7 - 2 record. Molly was MIAC heavyweight champion.

The roster included Phil Bungum, Larry Feldt, Steve Leonhardi, Tom Gruhlke, Dan Olsgaard, Brian Clark, Jim McLeod, Duane Kilbo, Todd Klemme, Molly McLeod, Murdick McLeod, Doug Soderman, Leif Wallin, Steve Geving, and Ron Wiederholt.

Wrestling results were:
St. Cloud Tournament: 7th place out of 16 teams
North Country Tournament: 1st place
Luther Tournament: 6th place out of 8 teams
MIAC Conference Meet: 3rd place out of 9 teams
Dual Meets: 10 - 4
Concordia 23 Valley City State 17
Concordia 32 Moorhead State 18
Concordia 3 NDSU   37
Concordia 11 UND   33
Concordia 22 St. Thomas 16
Concordia 33 St. John’s 11
Concordia 17 Bemidji State 28
Concordia 24 Gustavus 15
Concordia 42 St. Olaf 9
Concordia 26 Simpson College 17
Concordia 19 Bethel   18
Concordia 11 Augsburg 27
Concordia 45 St. Mary’s 9
Concordia 40 Hamline 8

1980 Baseball

The 1980 Concordia baseball team put together the most successful baseball season in recent years. The Cobbers had an 18 - 8 overall record and were 11 - 5 in the conference, good for a second-place tie with St. Thomas and St. Olaf. The Cobbers were the only team to beat MIAC champion Gustavus.
Three members of the squad were named to the All-Conference baseball team: Tom Simon, Bob Wentzel, and Bryon Novotny. Others on the roster were Howie Kangas, Dave Ryden, Steve Anderson, Bob Schepper, Dan Olson, Scott Ulrich, Greg Schmidt, Steve Atchison, Dave Anderson, Brian Howland, Dave Schroeder, Mark Redemske, Tom Borgstahl, Randy Penny, and Will Stearns.

1980 Tennis

The men’s tennis team concluded their 1980 season with 13 wins and 10 losses overall and a 5 - 4 record in the MIAC. Coached by Bob Nick, the squad found competition stiff but still managed to finish above .500. Craig DeJong and Mark Jordahl qualified for the NAIA District 13 tournament. The netmen were Pete Simonson, Steve Gabrielson, John Snustad, Rodger Hagen, Mark Jordahl, and Craig DeJong.
The 1980 track team, under Coach Ed Langsdorf, showed its traditional strength and depth, setting five indoor school records and four outdoor school records. Six trackmen qualifed for the NCAA Division III National Championship Meet: Co-captain John Mutschelknaus, 10,000-meter run; Kevin Mears, 1,500-meter run; Craig Dresser, Jay Meyers, Co-Captain Ron Noyce, and Pete Warnes, 4 x 400-meter relay. The team selected the following individuals for honors: Kevin Mears, Outstanding Track Athlete; high-jumper Bob Dale, Outstanding Field Event Athlete; and Ron Noyce, Most Valuable Track Man.
Others on the track roster included Godwin Segbefia, Jeff Allen, Dave Brunsvold, Pete Hennum, Lyle Peterson, Chuck Brown, Bob Tunheim, Mark Dale, Joel Dahl, Kevin Benson, Nate Redlin, Kevin Haugstad, Mark Larson, Mike Ginder, Scott Graves, Ron Rasmus, Bob Shepley, Dave Klug, John Raforth, Steve DesSaint, Eric Lund, and Pete Warnes.

1979-80 Golf

Lettermen on the Finn Grinaker’s 1980 golf team were Tim Tingelstad, Jeff Linden, Jeff Goihl, Tom Reidberger, and Brad Norr. Tingelstad earned several honors: medalist in the Alll-City meet with a 79, and All-MIAC with a 158 (third lowest score).

Meet results were:
Iowa State Tournament: 11th place out of 13 teams
Southern Minnesota Golf Invitational: 14th place out of 20 teams
Northern Minnesota Meet: 4th place out of 9 teams
NAIA District 13 Meet: 8th place out of 15 teams
All-City Meet: 1st place out of 3 teams
MIAC Conference Meet: 6h place out of 8 teams

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These pages are maintained by Jerry Pyle - pyle@cord.edu and Finn Grinaker - cgrinaker@juno.com. These pages are copyrighted © and may not be published or reproduced without the express permission of Finn Grinaker.