Five Inducted Into Cobber Athletic Hall of Fame

Concordia inducted five former athletes into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday during the annual Homecoming celebration.

This year’s inductees included men’s basketball player Dale Moe '84, wrestling and football standout Brett Larson '88, football teammates Mike Gindorff '91 and Shayne Lindsay '91 and women's cross country and track and field star Sharon Espeland '91.     

Moe is Concordia’s all-team leader in assists for a career (478). He was a member of the 1981-82 and 1982-83 MIAC Championship basketball teams. Moe earned NAIA All-District Team and MIAC All-Conference honors in the 1983-84 season.

Larson was a three-time MIAC wrestling champion and was named the Most Valuable Wrestler at the MIAC Championship Meet. He went on to earn All-American honors by placing fourth at the NCAA National Meet.

Gindoff was a part of the 1988 and 1990 MIAC football championship teams. He was awarded the Mike Stam Award for the league’s Most Valuable Lineman in 1990 and went on to earn All-American honors the same year.

Lindsay was also a part of the 1988 and 1990 MIAC football championship teams. He was named to the Division III All-American Team in his senior season in 1990. He also earned MIAC All-Conference honors in 1990 as the team’s nose guard.

Espeland helped the Cobbers win their only MIAC Women’s Cross Country Championship in 1990. She participated in the NCAA national meet in 1988 and 1989. Espeland earned MIAC All-Conference honors three times in her career and was named to the NCAA All-Region Team in 1990.

Dale Moe '84
After graduating with honors near the top of his class at Duluth (Minnesota) East High School, Dale Moe enrolled at Concordia and enjoyed a stellar career as a member of the Cobber basketball team.

Known as a good ball-distributing guard, Moe was a valuable contributor on the 1981-82 and 1982-83 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams. He was voted to the 1983-84 MIAC All-Conference First Team and the NAIA All-District Team. He finished his career as Concordia’s all-time leader in assists with 478.

A cum laude graduate, Moe went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, and was ordained into public ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988. Since then, he has compiled an exceptional career in church leadership and governance.

Prior to serving in his current position as lead pastor and mission developer at Light the Way Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona, Moe held pastoral positions at ELCA churches in Hibbing, Minnesota, and Grafton, North Dakota. In 1994 he was honored by being selected to preach the closing worship service at the Eastern North Dakota Synod Assembly. His service to the college includes serving as a member of the Concordia College Corporation, representing the Northeastern Minnesota Synod.

Moe has been an internship supervisor for Luther Seminary and an intern instructor. He has served on the evangelism board of the Grand Canyon Synod, represented the synod at national evangelism gatherings, and served on the synod’s evangelism strategy team to develop meaningful worship experiences for new people coming into the church. Since 2011, he has been a board member for vision and planning for the town of Marana, Arizona.

Brett Larson '88
Brett Larson was a solid, two-sport athlete at Concordia. In the fall he played tight end on the Cobber football team. But it was the winter season that set him apart as he wrestled in the 177-pound weight class. Coaches and teammates remember that his great attitude, strong mindset, gritty determination and flawless technique made him a champion wrestler.

Larson won over 100 matches in high school at Elbow Lake, Minn., and he finished his Cobber career with 82 victories. After his senior season he was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and he earned All-American honors with his fourth place finish at the NCAA national tournament. Larson was a three-time MIAC champion and three-time national tournament entrant.

After completing a master’s degree at South Dakota State University, Larson began his teaching and coaching career at Chisago Lakes, Minn. He has since taught and coached at Grand Rapids, Mich., and District 196 in Minnesota, serving Rosemount, Apple Valley, Eastview and Eagan high schools. He has been the head wrestling coach at Rosemount High School since 2004 and assists in football and girls’ track. Larson was voted Section 3AAA wrestling coach of the year in 2012. Many times he has brought wrestlers to the annual Cobber wrestling summer camp.

Larson is very active in school governance as a member of the curriculum review committee, equity team, department coordinators committee and Letter Club advisor.

Larson’s wife, Tracy, teaches Spanish at Rosemount. He has two sons, Luke and Andy; a step-son, Austin, who is studying at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; and a step-daughter, Ashley, who is studying nursing and Spanish at Concordia College.

Mike Gindorff '91
During his senior year in 1990, Mike Gindorff became one of the most honored athletes in Concordia history by putting together a truly exceptional season. He was voted team captain by his teammates, was chosen as the team’s most valuable player, and also earned Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors in leading the Cobbers to the 1990 conference championship.

That same year, Gindorff received the Mike Stam Award as the league’s outstanding lineman. He also was selected to the MIAC All-Conference First Team as a defensive tackle and went on to partner with teammate Shayne Lindsay in earning All-American honors, marking the first time two defensive linemen on the same Cobber team were voted to the most prestigious award in collegiate athletics. During his prolific career he amassed 256 career tackles as the solid anchor of the Cobber defensive line.

Following graduation, Gindorff signed professional free agent contracts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football, and the New Mexico Rattlesnakes of the Professional Spring Football League.

Gindorff was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Crosby-Ironton (Minnesota) High School in 1995, and was named to the Brainerd Daily Dispatch All Century high school football team in 2000.

Gindorff teaches biology and is head football coach at Crosby-Ironton High School, where he has twice been named Great Polar Football Alliance coach of the year in 2009 and 2012. He is married to fellow Cobber Wendy (Hansmann) Gindorff ’92. They are the parents of two children, Abby and Noah.

Shayne Lindsay '91
During his senior season in 1990, Shayne Lindsay helped Concordia win the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship by leading the Cobbers with 124 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks that season.

Lindsay was voted to the MIAC All-Conference First Team and went on to partner with teammate Mike Gindorff in earning All-American honors, marking the first time two defensive linemen on the same Cobber team were voted to the most prestigious award in collegiate athletics.

A three-year starter at nose guard, Lindsay was also a member of the 1988 MIAC championship team. He is remembered as one of the best defensive linemen to ever to play at Concordia. He had the special ability to engage a blocker, read the play and then shed the blocker to attack the ball carrier.

After completing a double major in business administration and communications, Lindsay returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana, where he partnered with his father in a discount grocery business. He later joined U.S. Bank and is now the small business team lead in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he and his wife, Jan, enjoy camping, hunting and fishing. Lindsay has been an active volunteer for Special Olympics for more than 10 years.

Sharon Espeland '91
From 1987 to 1991, Sharon Espeland enjoyed a stand-out career competing for the Cobber cross country and track and field teams. She was known for her graceful and fluid running style, and combined with great endurance, posted some of the best times in Cobber running history.

As a cross country runner she earned Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference honors in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and was named to the All-Region team in 1990. She twice participated in the NCAA national cross country meet in 1988 and 1989. During her outstanding senior season in 1990, she led the Cobbers to their only MIAC team championship trophy.

As a track and field athlete, Espeland earned All-MIAC outdoor honors in 1991 while racing to some of Concordia’s all-time fastest times in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.

After graduating with a degree in social studies education and coaching certification, Espeland taught and coached in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, before returning to Concordia to coach the women’s cross country team from 1996 to 1998. During this time she also worked in residence life and earned a master’s degree in counseling and student affairs.

In 2001, Espeland returned to her hometown to work in the Bismarck (North Dakota) public school system as a teacher, coach, athletic director and dean of students. She is currently the assistant principal at her alma mater, Bismarck Century High School. She is an active member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church where she teaches Sunday school. In addition to raising her three children – Justin, Makayla and Carter – she is a community volunteer with Meals on Wheels.