If Augustana ever puts together an “all-toughness” team, Rusty Van Wetzinga may well be elected captain of the bunch. On the first ballot, no doubt. During the four years (1992-96) that he performed in football, wrestling, and baseball for the Vikings the phrase “Rusty, man he is a tough kid” was heard often.
He came to Augustana after a tremendous high school career at Pleasant Valley High School where he was named the Quad City Times “Athlete of the Year” in the spring of his senior year. It didn’t take him long to make his mark with the Vikings as he was an immediate starter at linebacker. He led the team in tackles all four years and he was the definition of the hard-nosed, blue-collar football that was played by the Blue & Gold under the direction of first Bob Reade (first three years) and then Tom Schmulbach (his senior year).
He hit with abandon and he played the game the way it was supposed to be played. Not necessarily a vocal player, Van Wetzinga always led by example. During his freshman year he earned first team all-conference honors at linebacker, an honor that he would repeat three more times. When he graduated he was in the rarefied air of being a four time, first team all-conference honoree.
He earned NCAA Division III All-American honors three times (1993-1994-1995) and was voted the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin’s “Player of the Year” on defense in 1994 and again in 1995. Three times (1993-1994-1995) his teammates voted him the Vikings “Defensive MVP”.
While he will always be remembered for the mark he made in football, he was a standout in both wrestling and baseball as well. He earned NCAA Division III All-American honors as an undersized heavyweight in 1995 and he also won the CCIW title at the same weight class in 1995. Although his wrestling career at Augustana was brief, it was certainly successful as he compiled a record of 13-3 in 1992-93 and 17-5 in 1994-95 for an overall mark of 30-8.
Somehow, he also found the time to letter three years in baseball where he played a variety of positions. He was a second team all-conference selection in 1996.
Upon graduation, Van Wetzinga was not quite finished with his playing career. He was a fullback/linebacker for the Quad City Steamwheelers football team in the Arena Football League 2. In 2000 he helped the team go 19-0 and win the AFL2 title.
He graduated with degrees in secondary education and history and eventually got his Master’s in teaching and learning from Nova Southeastern University in Miami, Florida. He has been a social studies teacher at Pleasant Valley High School, his alma mater, for the last eight years and he is currently the head football coach for the Spartans. He also coaches the school’s softball team in the summer and has led the Spartans to a runner-up and a third place finish in the state tournament.
“My years at Augustana were a tremendous time in my life where I grew not only athletically but socially and academically,” said Van Wetzinga. “Augustana gave me the opportunity to be coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time in Bob Reade and gave me the thrill of being able to play in my community so my family and friends could watch me. I felt like I was carrying on a family tradition since my uncle (Rick Van Wetzinga) was a varsity letter winner at Augustana.”
