Oct. 28, 2020

A former student-athlete will be helping other Augustana University students compete at the college level thanks to a $1 million endowed gift.

Bob Swanhorst, a 1961 Augustana graduate, and his wife, Trish, have pledged the gift to support all student-athletes and further the goal of Augustana’s Viking Bold strategic plan. The plan sets the university’s vision for 2030 and relates to academics, enrollment and strategic scholarships, as well as athletics.

As members of the Viking Bold steering committee, the Swanhorsts have been strong advocates in the university’s planned transition to NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.

“Being a student-athlete at Augustana can be a life-changing experience, and scholarships provide that opportunity,” said Viking athletic director Josh Morton. “We are so grateful for Bob and Trish’s support of our goals and our champion student-athletes. With this gift, they are showing they are leaders willing to invest in the transformation of Augustana athletics.”

Swanhorst, a basketball standout from Cresbard, chose Augustana College as the place to further his education in 1957. While at Augustana, Swanhorst was named to the all-North Central Conference first team twice and set several school scoring and rebounding records in his 60-game career.

“I was fortunate to have gotten a full scholarship for basketball at Augie. It’s something I’ve never forgotten, and it’s time for us to pay it forward,” Swanhorst said. “Augustana can and will be the best in the Midwest. It’s time to start moving mountains.”

After receiving a bachelor’s degree, he went on to become a teacher in Bellevue, Neb., while Trish volunteered and raised their two sons, Rob and Randy. Eventually, the couple made their way back to South Dakota and later moved to Minnesota. Both had long careers in education, including in Huron and in Burnsville, Minn., and Swanhorst coached at the prep and collegiate levels.

The couple moved to Sioux Falls in 2001 and dedicate much of their time volunteering in the community.

Swanhorst was inducted into the Augustana Hall of Fame in 1981 and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He also was inducted into the South Dakota High School Girls and Boys Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 to which he was elected president in 2013.

“We were so fortunate to go to college,” Trish Swanhorst said. “For that reason, I want to repay and make sure other young people can financially afford it.”