In an event where breaking records is usually done by inches or fractions of inches, surpassing a record by nearly a foot and a half is almost unheard of. That’s exactly what Augustana pole vaulter Doug Felder did at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin championships on May 7, 1976. By clearing 16’ 0”, Felder obliterated the previous conference record of 14’ 6¾” and won his second CCIW title in the event. His achievement has stood the test of time as 35 years later only four Viking athletes have ever bettered that mark.
Three weeks after his record-setting performance, Felder tied the meet record at the NCAA Division III championships, but narrowly lost out on a national championship on the basis of attempts. That was the second of three straight runner-up national finishes for Felder (1975, 1976, 1977), with each earning him All-America status. As a sophomore, he also tied for first, but lost in a subsequent jump-off.
A four-year letter winner in track & field, Felder also served as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons.
Not surprisingly, Felder was an all-around standout athlete at Freeport High School in Freeport, Illinois. He earned three letters each in football, basketball and track & field, where he was an all-conference selection.
Coming to Augustana, he gave up basketball and football in favor of track & field. However, after two years, he decided to give the gridiron a try. There, he joined fellow pole vaulter and All-American running back Joe Thompson, a 2004 Augustana Hall of Fame inductee. A quarterback in high school, Felder suited up for the Vikings as a wide receiver, catching five passes for 86 yards (17.2 yards per catch) as a junior. He had a breakout year as a senior, leading the team in receiving with 31 catches for 478 yards and three touchdowns and helping lead Augustana to a 7-2 record and its first NCAA Division III playoff appearance. He was also the Vikings’ top punt returner. Until three years ago, the 31 receptions still ranked in the school’s top ten for a single season.
Felder is a 1977 Augustana graduate with degrees in political science and history. In 1980 he received his law degree from the University of Chicago’s John Marshall Law School and went to work for the firm of Elliott, Carrane, Friefeld & Uruba in Chicago, Illinois, where he stayed for 10 years. For the past 21 years he’s had his own practice in Chicago. He’s a member of the Illinois and Florida State Bar Associations, is active with the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and for the last 28 years has been a Special Assistant Attorney General.
Felder said that he chose Augustana because “Coach (Paul) Olsen showed the most interest in me.” He also singled out Olsen and former Viking coach and Director of Athletics John Farwell as “two of the finest men I have met anytime, anywhere.” However, he chose something even more personal as the greatest benefit of having attended Augustana: “I met the love of my life and my wife of 30 years, Candy.”
Doug and Candy, also a ’77 Augustana graduate, reside in Deerfield, Illinois. The couple has four children: Mark, who is pursuing his MBA at the University of Notre Dame; Lisa, who graduated from Clemson University in 2008; Bethany, currently a senior at the University of Michigan and Brian, who is in his sophomore year at Vanderbilt University.
