Legends and Records

11-21-88

Perspective:

Legends and Records

It was a pretty good week for Cobber sports. And, amid the wins and losses, a milestone achieved by football coach Jim Christopherson was noted. The milestone was indeed noteworthy, the breaking of a record held by Jake Christiansen.

Jake Christiansen is a legend around Concordia. Jake was Concordia's football coach from 1941 to 1968. In that time his teams won 143 games, lost 69 and tied 11. Far more importantly, he was a giant force in the education of thousands of young men who played for him. Jake still lives in Moorhead and visits the campus on occasion. He is rightly treated with a degree of respect that borders on reverence by those who know him or his contribution to the institution. To write just a little about Jake Christiansen and his role in Concordia's history is to risk slighting a man of his stature.

There may not be a more storied man in this area than Jake Christiansen. He was a wise, sometimes-crusty, generous, tough, crafty and tenacious football coach. He taught his players about life and how to live it with vigor. It is only a small measure of the man that Concordia's football stadium is named Jake Christiansen Stadium and that he was the first inductee into the Concordia Athletic Hall of fame.

This season, on October 22nd at St. Olaf to be exact, Concordia's current head coach, Jim Christopherson, quietly surpassed Jake Christiansen's win total at Concordia with his 144th win. Jim Christopherson is now 146-55-4 in his 20th season at Concordia. That is a phenomenal record.

No one here noted this milestone at the time. If Christopherson knew of it he didn't tell anyone. Our crack Sports Information Office (me), through oversight, blew the chance, indeed the obligation, to make this achievement known when it occurred. But the delay at least gave us a chance to think about how to report such an event. As Roger Maris learned, one should tread lightly on the records of legends.

But what Jim Christopherson has done at Concordia is no one-year record and obviously can't be written off as a fluke. It represents two decades of hard work, brilliant coaching, compassionate teaching, and an unwavering commitment to bringing out the best in our youth.

And no small degree of humility.

When Jim was told he had broken Jake's record he was almost sheepish. The first thing he said was that people ought to remember that Jake coached at Valparaiso before coming to Concordia and had 197 career wins. Jim teaches humility and graciousness as well as he teaches football. He pushes for his players to receive the credit they earn and is quick to take the blame when someone else makes a mistake. He somehow manages to fight like a bulldog for his players and his program to be the best without making himself the focus of attention.

Christopherson's gracious performance after this weekend's playoff loss to Central was indicative of the healthy perspective this man has on life and its priorities. Humble in victory, gracious in defeat. Jim Christopherson's breaking of the record for wins at Concordia does not diminish Jake Christiansen's achievements or contributions. Both have been blessings to the institution and the students who have had the privilege to be guided by them in some way.

It's too early to start calling Jim Christopherson a legend. He's only 50. And, besides, we have to work with him.

But it's worth remembering at this point that Jim's record happened, in part, because a lot of parents over a many years were willing to spend a good deal of money to put their talented sons in this man's hands. That represents a pretty good collective endorsement of the man.

These pages are maintained by Jerry Pyle pyle@cord.edu. These articles are copyrighted © and may not be published or reproduced without the express permission of Jerry Pyle.

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