Augustana College Athletics

In 1964, Norm Ayer left Tipp City, Ohio and enrolled at Augustana as a 5’ 4”, 140-pound freshman wrestler, football player and baseball player. Four years later, he graduated owning 11 varsity letters and in 2015, he takes his place as a member of the Tribe of Viking Hall of Fame.
 
Ayer took part in the first of his 12 sports seasons at Augustana as a freshman member of Coach Ralph Starenko’s football team. It would be the only season in which the Tippecanoe High School graduate didn’t earn a letter. His first would come in the winter of 1965 as a member of Coach Ted Kessinger’s College Conference of Illinois champion wrestling program. Ayer cracked the Viking lineup midway through the season, went 8-3 and claimed the CCI title at 130 pounds. He was chosen as the team’s Most Improved Wrestler before heading out to the baseball field in the spring. Competing for Coach Lenny Kallis’ CCI champions, he hit .313 as a freshman and was among the team leaders in runs, walks and stolen bases.
 
As a sophomore, Ayer earned his first letter in football. He excelled in all three phases of the game for an Augustana squad that finished the year 4-2-2. He recorded 136 yards from scrimmage on offense as well as an interception on defense. However, it was in the return game that he really shone, averaging 13.5 yards per punt return and 21.5 yards on kickoffs.
 
Although he wasn’t able to repeat his CCI title-winning wrestling performance as a sophomore, Ayer’s second-place finish at 130 pounds helped Augustana claim another team championship. He finished the year 16-7-1 and won the 130-pound championship at the Monmouth Tournament. In the spring of 1966, he led the Viking baseball team in stolen bases, sacrifices and walks.
 
1966-67 was a banner year for Ayer. The junior set school season records for interceptions (six) and punt return yards (393) in football as the Vikings went 6-2-1 and captured the CCI championship with a 5-1 mark. In wrestling, he helped Augustana to yet another CCI team crown, winning the individual conference title at 130 pounds again. He also advanced all the way to the quarterfinals at the NCAA College Division Championships. On the diamond, he hit .293 and led the Vikings in runs, walks, home runs and stolen bases.
 
As a senior in the fall of 1967, Ayer earned first team All-CCIW and All-Lutheran All-America honors as a defensive back on the gridiron. He was also selected the team’s MVP. He was the Vikings’ second-leading receiver with 24 catches for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Several of those passes were received from a freshman quarterback named Ken Anderson. Ayer also led Augustana in punt returns (14.5) and kickoff returns (24.9) and finished his career with school records for all-time punt return yardage (827) and longest punt return (75 yards). His senior wrestling and baseball seasons each yielded a CCIW championship for the Vikings, the sixth and seventh conference championship teams on which Ayer competed during his time in Rock Island.
 
In 1968, Ayer was one of 27 Augustana students named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He graduated from Augustana in 1968 with degrees in mathematics and physical education. He retired this past June after 46 years as a high school math teacher in Ohio and Florida. For 29 of those years, he also coached various sports, including football, wrestling, baseball, track & field and softball.
 
Norm lives in Immokallee, Florida with his wife of 42 years, Linda. He is active in several organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Eagles—for whom he served as a chapter president, the Florida High School Athletic Association and the United States Golf Association.
 
Ayer admits that he considers his years at Augustana just the “second-best time of my life,” reserving the top spot for his marriage to Linda.