Hall of Fame
The late Dwight D. Stuessy's determination and spirit as a coach and administrator will always live on a Macalester College.
A 1929 graduate of the University of Illinois, Stuessy played quarterback for the "Fighting Illini" football team that captured two Big Ten championships and one national title. He then coached at Durham (N.C.) High School from 1929-37.
From 1937-39, Stuessy was the head coach of the Scots football and basketball squads. After spending five years at William and Mary College (Williamsburg, Va.), he returned to Macalester in 1946, where he was athletic director and head football and basketball coach, in addition to being an associate professor in the physical education department.
Stuessy coached the 1947 edition of the Scots to the MIAC football crown, the last conference football title that Macalester has won. He was recognized by both coaches and players alike as one of the brilliant teachers in all of college athletics. He collapsed and died of a heart attack after the Scots 81-67 basketball victory over St. Thomas in 1957.
"Dwight was a true sportsman and gentleman both on and off the field of competition," said Hamline College basketball coach, Bob Hedstrom, in the February 15, 1957, issue of Mac Weekly. "He was a gracious loser, and more important, he was a gracious winner. The conference has lost one of its best men and I feel personally that I have lost a good friend."
Geald Drier (Class of '57), a former player of Stuessy's and a 1985 Hall of Fame inductee and said: "His contributions to Macalester and the athletes that he coached will be long remembered."
Stuessy played an important role in the building of the Union and the Field House on campus, in addition to reconstructing the track so it would drain. The years may have passed, but the contributions of Dwight D. Stuessy are still enjoyed by the Macalester College community today.
