Scott Moe and Randy Stuckey present Whitey Skoog with his Hall of Fame Induction Plaque on Thursday, Dec. 11 in the NCAA Championships Room.
Las Vegas – Former Gustavus Adolphus College men’s golf head coach Whitey Skoog was one of six individuals inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Hall of Fame as a part of the GCAA Hall of Fame Reception and Banquet on Monday, Dec. 8 at Planet Hollywood. The GCAA inducted five coaches – Steve Condon, Bill Gardner, Richard Poe, Whitey Skoog, and O.D. Vincent – in its 2014 Hall of Fame Class. Additionally, Tim Huet was honored for his contributions to collegiate golf.
Accepting the award on Whitey Skoog’s behalf was Head Coach Scott Moe ’95, who put together a Hall of Fame career under Skoog and was later pegged his successor as the head of the men’s golf program.
“It was an honor to accept this award on Whitey’s behalf,” said Head Coach Scott Moe. “Coach Skoog is true ambassador for the sport and Gustavus, and his place in the GCAA Hall of Fame is well-deserved. It was touching to listen to stories about Whitey as told by his fellow peers who competed against him all those years ago. His impact is profound and so widely felt – I’m proud to have been a part of such a special event.”
Whitey Skoog retired as Gustavus Adolphus men’s golf coach after 22 seasons in January of 1995. Skoog, a professor in the physical education department for 35 years and men’s basketball coach for 24 seasons at Gustavus, built the men’s golf program into one of the finest in the nation. Under Skoog’s direction, the Gusties won 17 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships including 13 straight from 1982 through 1994. His teams made 12 appearances in the NCAA Division III Championships, which included a string of 11 consecutive showings. In seven of those 12 appearances, the Gusties finished in the top five six times, including second place performances in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
He coached 16 conference champions, a national champion and Ben Hogan award winner, 11 PING All-Americans who received All-America honors a total of 21 times, three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and 12 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholars. A nine-time MIAC Coach of the Year and seven-time District 5 Coach of the Year, Skoog was selected as the national coach of the year following the 1990-91 season.
Prior to coming to Gustavus, Whitey was a guard for the University of Minnesota between 1947 and 1951. He earned All-Big Ten and All-America honors during his senior year and was widely known as one of the foremost developers and practitioners of the jump shot, a technique that revolutionized basketball. He took his patented shot to the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association in 1951 where he became one of the premiere guards in the league. Whitey was forced to abandon his playing career in 1957 after he suffered a back injury. In 1987, Whitey was inducted into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame.