Ed Saugestad
Encyclopedia
Edwin J. Saugestad is a former college men's ice hockey
coach. From 1958 to 1996, he was the head hockey coach at Augsburg College
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. He led the Augsburg hockey team to three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
men's ice hockey championships and six consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
championships from 1976 to 1982. At the time of his retirement in 1996, he ranked second in career wins in NCAA Division III history. He received the John MacInnes Award in 2002 for his lifetime of contributions to amateur hockey and the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
in 2007. As of 2010, he ranks 18th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 503 wins.
during his senior year at the school. He was both a player and coach on the team during the 1958-1959 hockey season. Saugestad graduated in 1959 with a double major in physical education
and biology
. He also received a master's degree
from the University of Minnesota
in 1964.
With the exception of a sabbatical in the 1990-1991 academic year, Saugestad was the head ice hockey coach at Augsburg from the 1958-1959 season through the 1995-1996 season. In 37 years as the head hockey coach, he led Augsburg to three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
("NAIA") national hockey championships in 1978, 1981 and 1982. His Augsburg hockey teams also won six consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
("MIAC") championships from 1976 to 1982 and appeared in ten post-season tournaments. He coached 22 players who received All-American honors at Augsburg.
Saugestad was also an instructor in the Health & Physical Education Department until 1996 and taught classes in, among other things, the physiology of exercise and health. He also served on the coaching staff for Augsburg's football
team from 1959 to 1984. In December 1969, Saugestad was named the head football coach after Edor Nelson resigned the position. Saugestad was the head football coach during the 1970 and 1971 football seasons. From 1981 to 1987, he was also Augsburg's men's athletic director.
In the fall of 1995, Saugestad's left kidney
shut down, and he underwent six surgeries to diagnose and remove a non-malignant growth. As a result of his health problems, Saugestad announced at the end of November 1995 that the 1995-1996 hockey season would be his last as a coach. He told reporters that his health problems had made him reorder his priorities, "It made me think about what things I wanted to do, like go backpacking off in the Boundary Waters
." The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote at the time, "Kidney problems have accomplished what no opposing team or set of circumstances could: Force Ed Saugestad from his beloved coaching after this season."
Saugestad recorded his 500th career victory in January 1996 with a 5-4 win over Bethel University
. Saugestad said at the time, "I have to say, I'm kind of glad to get it out of the way and get back to normal. Everyone kept talking about it. ... Now that it's done, it's quite a milestone. It's wonderful. It took a lot of guys to get it for me." In his final game as Augsburg's coach, freshman goalie
Shawn Mullan stopped 45 shots, and Augsburg scored six unanswered goals to beat Gustavus Adolphus College
for Saugestad's 503rd and final career win.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach. From 1958 to 1996, he was the head hockey coach at Augsburg College
Augsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. He led the Augsburg hockey team to three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
men's ice hockey championships and six consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member schools are located in the state of Minnesota...
championships from 1976 to 1982. At the time of his retirement in 1996, he ranked second in career wins in NCAA Division III history. He received the John MacInnes Award in 2002 for his lifetime of contributions to amateur hockey and the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
The Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."...
in 2007. As of 2010, he ranks 18th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 503 wins.
Augsburg College
Saugestad became the hockey coach at Augsburg CollegeAugsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
during his senior year at the school. He was both a player and coach on the team during the 1958-1959 hockey season. Saugestad graduated in 1959 with a double major in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. He also received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1964.
With the exception of a sabbatical in the 1990-1991 academic year, Saugestad was the head ice hockey coach at Augsburg from the 1958-1959 season through the 1995-1996 season. In 37 years as the head hockey coach, he led Augsburg to three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
("NAIA") national hockey championships in 1978, 1981 and 1982. His Augsburg hockey teams also won six consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member schools are located in the state of Minnesota...
("MIAC") championships from 1976 to 1982 and appeared in ten post-season tournaments. He coached 22 players who received All-American honors at Augsburg.
Saugestad was also an instructor in the Health & Physical Education Department until 1996 and taught classes in, among other things, the physiology of exercise and health. He also served on the coaching staff for Augsburg's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team from 1959 to 1984. In December 1969, Saugestad was named the head football coach after Edor Nelson resigned the position. Saugestad was the head football coach during the 1970 and 1971 football seasons. From 1981 to 1987, he was also Augsburg's men's athletic director.
In the fall of 1995, Saugestad's left kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
shut down, and he underwent six surgeries to diagnose and remove a non-malignant growth. As a result of his health problems, Saugestad announced at the end of November 1995 that the 1995-1996 hockey season would be his last as a coach. He told reporters that his health problems had made him reorder his priorities, "It made me think about what things I wanted to do, like go backpacking off in the Boundary Waters
Boundary Waters
The Boundary Waters — also called the Quetico-Superior country — is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the region just west of Lake Superior. This region is part of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, and in Canada...
." The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote at the time, "Kidney problems have accomplished what no opposing team or set of circumstances could: Force Ed Saugestad from his beloved coaching after this season."
Saugestad recorded his 500th career victory in January 1996 with a 5-4 win over Bethel University
Bethel University (Minnesota)
Bethel University is a Christian higher education institution with approximately 6,000 students from 36 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs...
. Saugestad said at the time, "I have to say, I'm kind of glad to get it out of the way and get back to normal. Everyone kept talking about it. ... Now that it's done, it's quite a milestone. It's wonderful. It took a lot of guys to get it for me." In his final game as Augsburg's coach, freshman goalie
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
Shawn Mullan stopped 45 shots, and Augsburg scored six unanswered goals to beat Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. A coeducational, four-year, residential institution, it was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school is firmly...
for Saugestad's 503rd and final career win.
Career coaching record and honors
Saugestad's career record as a hockey coach was 503 wins, 354 losses and 21 ties. At the time of his retirement, he was the second winningest hockey coach in NCAA Division III history. Saugestad has received many awards and honors for his contributions to college ice hockey. These include:- Saugestad received the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1978, 1981 and 1982 and was named MIAC Coach of the Year six times.
- In 1987, Saugestad was inducted into the Augsburg College Hall of Fame.
- The State of Minnesota declared February 17, 1996, the day of Saugestad's last game as the hockey coach at Augsburg, as "Ed Saugestad Day."
- In 1998, the MIAC renamed its championship trophy in hockey as the Ed Saugestad Trophy.
- In 2002, the American Hockey Coaches AssociationAmerican Hockey Coaches AssociationThe American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members coached college ice hockey but membership has grown to include coaches at every level of the sport from youth hockey to professional ice hockey, although the organization maintains a focus on the collegiate...
awarded the John MacInnes Award to Saugestad for his lifetime of contributions to amateur hockey. - In 2007, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation presented Saugestad with its Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey AwardHobey Baker Legends of College Hockey AwardThe Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."...
. - In 2009, Augsburg College announced plans to rename its main ice rink the Ed Saugestad Rink at Augsburg Ice Arena. The naming ceremony for Ed Saugestad Rink is scheduled for October 16, 2010.