The list of outstanding distance runners at Augustana is a long one but the name Dan Copper would be included no matter the length. From Mendota, Illinois, Copper accomplished the remarkable feat of competing in seven NCAA Division III national meets and earning All-American honors in each of those seven. He won an individual national title in 1975 when he claimed first in the three mile race in Berea, Ohio with a time of 14:00.98. His effort helped Augustana place second in the team standings that year. He still holds the school record in the two mile (8:51.9), three mile (13:46.8) and six mile (29:31.3) and has the eighth fastest time in the mile (4:11.8). Although metric distances weren’t run as much during Copper’s day, he is still seventh in the 5,000 (14:46.1) and 10,000 (30:46.0).
He earned his first All-American certificate in the 1974 NCAA Division III track & field meet in the three mile. He was an All-American in cross country in 1974 (5th), 1975 (23rd) and 1976 (3rd). His track & field All-American certificates came in 1974 (three mile), 1975 (three mile), 1977 (5,000) and 1978 (10,000). Copper skipped the 1976 track season due to an injury. In three CCIW cross country meets he was fifth (1974), second (1975) and second (1976). He won the CCIW track championship at six miles in 1975 and in 1977 he won both the three and six mile events. One of his most significant achievements came in 1978 when he won the Illinois Intercollegiate Indoor championship at three miles in a meet that included Southern Illinois and University of Illinois at a time when those programs were among the top 10 in the nation. He is also a past winner of the world-famous Bix Seven road race in Davenport, Iowa.
Dan and his wife Paula live in Beloit, Wisconsin and have a daughter, Nicole Ray. Copper is a sales representative for Rucker’s Wholesale Candy. He graduated from Augustana in 1978 with a degree in physical education. He also served as the women’s track & field coach for the Vikings in 1982, leading the team to the Illinois state championship and guiding the 1600 relay team to a second place finish in the AIAW national meet.
