In October 2021, Augustana University announced that it will be home to the Viking Men’s Hockey Program — set to take the ice in the fall of 2023. The public announcement came during a groundbreaking ceremony on AU’s campus for the program’s new Midco Arena. The hockey program, which will compete at the NCAA Division I level as part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), will be the Vikings’ 23rd collegiate sport and first of its kind in South Dakota.
Kevin ‘79 and Linda Nyberg are generous supporters of Midco Arena’s gjallarhorn, a loud-sounding horn that, according to Norse mythology, was sounded to announce the arrival of the gods.
“We are so excited about it because the gjallarhorn is a Viking thing — the horn you blow to announce a scored goal or touchdown or if you want to introduce somebody,” Kevin said. “I’ll never forget when Linda and I were sitting down with Pam (Homan ‘81, chief strategy officer & executive vice president), Josh (Morton, director of athletics) and Stephanie (Herseth Sandlin, president), and I said, ‘You’ve got to have a gjallarhorn!’”
The Nybergs' connection to Augustana is a family affair. Kevin graduated from Augustana in 1979 with a business administration major, and all four of the couple’s children are alumni. Kevin said he grew up attending Augustana athletics events, fell in love with the university and soon became “Augie-fied.”
Kevin is the owner and president of Nyberg’s Ace Hardware, and Linda is a retired Sanford Health medical technologist. Kevin serves on the Augustana Board of Trustees, South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation Board of Directors and South Dakota Retailers Association Board of Directors. He also formerly served on the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Board.
Kevin and Linda, who are former hockey parents, are excited for the new hockey program because of all it will bring to Sioux Falls and the surrounding area.
“Hockey at Augustana is a game-changer,” Kevin said. “I have heard such excitement about this program, and not just in Sioux Falls — all the way up to Aberdeen, down to Yankton, over to Chamberlain, Pierre and Worthington. This is a regional excitement that’s going on.”
Kevin said he enjoys watching hockey because of its fast pace, excitement and the fact that it has “very few rules.”
“What these young men and women do on an eighth-inch piece of steel is incredible,” said Kevin. “It’s so fun to watch.
“As for Midco Arena and the hockey program, it will do so much for the whole university,” Kevin continued. “I’m hoping other alumni can look at what Linda and I have done and also give back to what Augustana has done for them in their lifetime.”
For more information on how to contribute to the program, visit augielink.com/hockey.
Learn more about other Viking Men's Hockey and Midco Arena donors: