Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame Official Site

Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees - 2010

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/04/10) --- The Concordia College Athletics Department inducted six former athletes and one former physical therapist and athletic trainer into the Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday during the annual Homecoming celebration. This year's honorees included the first two soccer players ever inducted into the Cobber Athletic Hall of Fame - Peter Curry '96 and Deborah (Idstrom) Hallquist '92, football and baseball standouts Terry Horan '89 and Doug Toivonen '89, women's track and field national champion  Renee (Erickson) Lang '97, football All-American Doug McMillan '83 and former physical therapist and first athletic trainer Robert 'Doc' Ulrich.

Curry was the first soccer player in the history of the school to earn MIAC Most Valuable Player honors and helped the Cobbers capture their first MIAC championship in 1995 while Hallquist was the first the first Cobber women's soccer player to be named to the NCAA All-Region First Team and still holds the program record for goals in a career.

Horan, who is currently the Concordia football head coach, was an All-American in 1988 in football and was also named to the NCAA All-Region Team in baseball in 1989 while Toivonen was the quarterback for the 1988 Concordia football team that won the MIAC championship. He was also named to the MIAC All-Conference Team in baseball after being named the team's Most Valuable Player.

Lang was a three-time NCAA Division III champion in the javelin and won the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1992. McMillan was an All-American defensive tackle on the 1982 football team and was captain of the Cobber squad that season.

Doc Ulrich was the first physical therapist and athletic trainer on staff at Concordia and served in that capacity from 1966 through 1993.

Complete List of Hall of Fame Accomplishments and Plaque Text:

Peter Curry | Deb Hallquist | Tery Horan | Doug Toivonen | Renee Lang | Doug McMillan | Doc Ulrich

Peter Curry '96

Peter Curry is among the most honored soccer players in Concordia and MIAC history. A native of Wayzata, Minn., Curry transformed the Cobber men’s soccer team into champions during his four-year career at Concordia. His teams still hold records for longest winning streak (10), longest unbeaten streak (14) and most goals (55) in a season.

Curry’s list of individual accomplishments is similarly impressive. He holds Concordia records for most goals in a season (16), most career goals (41), and most points in a season (42) and a career (110). He was selected to the NCAA Division III All-West region teams in 1994 and 1995, and the MIAC All-Conference teams in 1993, 1994 and 1995. League coaches selected him as the MIAC Most Valuable Player following his spectacular senior season in 1995.

No Hollywood movie could ever capture the drama of the 1995 season. After joining a last place team freshman year, Curry teamed with his best friends and classmates, David Schlauderaff and Brian Mahan, to steadily improve each year to lead the Cobbers to the verge of the team’s first championship as seniors. Curry was an outstanding goal scorer who was able to elevate his skills in big matches and, with Schlauderaff, he assisted Mahan on the winning goal that clinched the MIAC championship – the final goal of their storied careers together.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, Curry became a reinsurance broker and today is a senior vice president at Guy Carpenter & Company in Wayzata, where he lives with his wife, Mary Jo, and son, Liam.

For his outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, his dedication to the business community, and in recognition of his personal example of persistence and leadership, Concordia College is proud to induct Peter J. Curry into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Deborah (Idstrom) Hallquist '92

A native of New Hope, Minn., Deb Hallquist has had a long association with Concordia College women’s soccer, both as an exceptional player and as a coach. Attempting to realize a personal goal to play for the United States World Cup soccer team, she played on a Minnesota state select team and was chosen to play on a prominent regional soccer team during the summer training season.

At Concordia, Hallquist became a record setter. A four-year starter from 1988 to 1992, during her playing days she set records for goals scored in a single game (4), most points scored in a game (9), goals scored in a season (19), points scored in a season (43) and career goals (48). These records stood for more than a decade before being broken.

She was twice elected co-captain by her teammates, and was three times named to the MIAC All-Conference team in 1989, 1990 and 1991. After the 1991 season, Hallquist became the first Cobber women’s soccer player to be named to NCAA All-Region first team. Following her playing career, she served as an assistant coach for seven seasons.

Hallquist earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education, and currently teaches family and consumer sciences at Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo, N.D. An accomplished educator, she is very involved in engaging new teaching strategies and serves on several school and district committees. She is married to fellow Cobber Matt Hallquist ’92 and they are the parents of two children, Megan and Michael, who Hallquist helps coach in recreational soccer leagues.

In recognition of her outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, her dedicated service to teaching, and her personal example of striving for excellence, Concordia College is proud to induct Deb (Idstrom) Hallquist into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Terry Horan '89

A gifted, natural athlete, Terry Horan was a multi-sport standout at Willmar (Minn.) High School and, like many motivated athletes, chose to attend Concordia so he could continue participating at the intercollegiate level in football and baseball.

In football, Horan was an exceptional receiver able to utilize his natural gifts of running speed and pass catching ability. He was a three-time All-MIAC selection, and was named to the 1988 NCAA All-American team as a receiver. As a junior, he set MIAC records for receiving yards and was ranked seventh nationally for receptions. In his senior season, he became the school record holder for most touchdowns in a single season as well as reception, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for a career. He also is the second all-time scoring leader. His contributions helped the Cobbers win two MIAC championships and make two trips to the NCAA national playoffs.

In baseball, Horan was named to the All-MIAC team and the NCAA All-Region team after his senior season in 1989, in which he maintained a .400 batting average and stole 22 of 23 bases. He also played minor league football for the Pocono (Pa.) Mountaineers, where he was chosen team Most Valuable Player and, in 1990, was invited to a tryout with the New York Giants of the National Football League.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, Horan coached at Breckenridge (Minn.) High School where he led the Cowboys to the state playoffs on three occasions, and five times was a section finalist. He earned conference Coach of the Year honors in 1993, 1994 and 2000. He has coached the Cobber football team since 2000, winning the MIAC title outright in 2004 and becoming the first Cobber coach to make back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances in 2004 and 2005.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, his dedicated service as a teacher and coach, and for his personal example of striving for excellence, Concordia College is proud to induct Terry J. Horan into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Doug Toivonen '89

The opportunity to participate at a high level in two intercollegiate sports attracted Doug Toivonen, a natural athlete from Starbuck, Minn., to enroll at Concordia. During his outstanding career, his peers and opposing coaches recognized him with all-conference honors in football and baseball.

During his senior season in football in 1988, Toivonen was the quarterback of the Cobber football team that won the MIAC championship. During that season, he established school records for passing attempts and passing yards in a single season, and was a unanimous selection to the MIAC All-Conference team.

In the spring of his senior year, Toivonen was chosen by his baseball teammates as their Most Valuable Player after he led the Cobbers in home runs and runs batted in. An outstanding hitter and shutdown pitcher, he was also selected to the MIAC All-Conference team after compiling a .365 batting average, a 5-0 pitching record and a 1.10 earned run average in the crucial final games of league play.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, Toivonen played amateur baseball for several years. In Glyndon, Minn., he led the team to the Minnesota Class C tournament where he was named to the All-Tournament team. In Red Wing, Minn., his teams won two Minnesota state championships and he was again named to the All-Tournament teams those two years. Toivonen now teaches in Red Wing, where he coaches the boys’ varsity basketball team and eighth grade football team.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, his dedicated service to educating and coaching young people, and his personal example of striving for excellence, Concordia College is proud to induct Doug R. Toivonen into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Renee (Erickson) Lang '97
Renee (Erickson) Lang enrolled at Concordia in 1993 with a solid athletic and academic background from New Rockford (N.D.) High School. During her Concordia career, she utilized her naturally positive attitude combined with a determined work ethic, good coaching and supportive family and teammates, to become one of the nation’s top track and field athletes in all of NCAA Division III.

Renee Lang’s long list of accomplishments and honors in the classroom and on the field is impressive. She was a four-time track and field All-American. She was the consecutive NCAA Division III national champion in the javelin in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and the national runner-up in 1997. She won four consecutive MIAC championships in the javelin and was the consensus winner of the 1996 Most Outstanding Performance award at the MIAC track championships. Her teammates chose her as track and field captain in 1996-97 and she was also a member of the volleyball team her freshman year.

Following her senior season in 1997, Lang was among a small group of select athletes nationwide to receive a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship award. She was also a two-time GTE Academic All-American and three-time member of the All-MIAC academic team.

After completing a double major in accounting and office administration, she joined the finance division of Cargill where today she is a business implementation manager in Hopkins, Minn. She is the mother of two daughters and is active in running and church activities.

In recognition of her outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, and for setting an example of leadership and character for other athletes to emulate, Concordia College is proud to induct Renee (Erickson) Lang into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Doug McMillan '83

Doug McMillan entered Concordia with a sterling reputation as a standout high school basketball, track and football athlete. He was two-time all-conference and a Montana all-state tight end and defensive tackle who helped lead Absarokee High School to consecutive state championship football games in 1977 and 1978.

During his Concordia career, McMillan became one of only a few athletes to earn letters all four years in football. Although undersized at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 225 pounds, he was a two-year starter at defensive tackle, helping the Cobbers to an undefeated season in 1981 and the NAIA Division II National Championship game which ended in a 24-24 tie with Austin College of Texas.

In recognition of his tenacious playing ability and outstanding leadership qualities, his teammates elected him a captain of the 1982 football team. That season McMillan was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player, first team All-MIAC, NAIA All-District and second team NAIA All-American at defensive tackle.

Earning a degree in hospital administration, McMillan has gone on to a distinguished career in health care management, serving hospitals in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. He is currently CEO and president of West Park Hospital in Cody, Wyo. His participation in numerous community activities led to his selection as Cody Business Person of the Year in 2007. The father of three sons, he has served as youth football coach and league president in Cody.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a Cobber athlete, his dedicated service to health care and the needs of his community, and his personal example of leadership and character, Concordia College is proud to induct Douglas A. McMillan into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Robert 'Doc' Ulrich

For 27 years, from 1966 to 1993, Bob Ulrich was the head athletic trainer for all of Concordia College athletics. As the first physical therapist and athletic trainer on staff, he developed many creative treatment regimens to support Cobber athletes. Most notably, Ulrich was the trainer for the 1978 and 1981 Concordia national championship football teams.

Ulrich is a native of Wilton, N.D., and a Navy veteran of the Korean War. Following his military service, he graduated from Minot (N.D.) State University in 1961 and then went on to earn a physical therapy degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. For many years he was the head of the physical therapy departments at hospitals in Crookston, Minn., and the former St. Ansgar Hospital in Moorhead.

In 1966, Ulrich became the first physical therapist and athletic trainer on the Concordia athletic staff. His primary function was to diagnose, treat and preview injuries, first with the football team, but soon thereafter to athletes in all sports. In the 1970s, Ulrich brought Orthopaedic Associates of Fargo on board, thus enabling first-class coverage and treatment for all Concordia athletes. He also helped institute a physical therapy cooperative education program within the biology department for the benefit of pre-medicine and pre-physical therapy students. He also started a student training program. In 1980, Ulrich became available for physical therapy examinations and treatments to all students and faculty at Concordia.

In 1993 he left Concordia to enter private practice and in 1996 retired to Mesa, Ariz. Ulrich and his wife, LaVonne, have five children and eight grandchildren. Three of their children are graduates of Concordia.

In recognition of his outstanding service to Cobber athletics, his pioneering work as a trainer and therapist, and for his personal example of striving for excellence, Concordia College is proud to induct Robert Ulrich into the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame.