The Wartburg College Athletic Department is accepting its 30th annual Athletic Hall of Fame nominations for athletes and coaches from Wartburg College. Hall of Fame nominations are due by March 1, 2026.

On average, roughly nine inductees enter the Athletic Hall of Fame every year. Athletes and coaches from any sport can be nominated, and dual-sport athletes qualify just as much as single-sport athletes. The candidates may be nominated by Wartburg College alumni, parents, friends of the college, faculty or staff members and must have been a Wartburg graduate of at least ten years prior to award year.

When the nominees for the year are selected, nomination forms are sent to parents, alumni and coaches who vote for their inductee of choice. These votes are then sent to the Alumni Office at Wartburg College.

After the votes have been gathered, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee will select the inductees for the year. The inductees’ names will be engraved on a group plaque for their induction year, which will then be on display in the Athletic Hall of Fame Room in The W. Each winner will also receive an award to display in their homes. 

“It’s an all-out effort between the athletic department, marketing department and the president of the college,” says Carter Bornemeier, the director of athletic communications at Wartburg College.

This is Bornemeier’s first year overseeing the Hall of Fame ballot. His job is to obtain all the nomination information on the Wartburg Athletic Hall of Fame website. Bornemeier is also responsible for uploading the photos of the inductees to the website’s photo gallery and sorting them by award year.

Bornemeier further explains that athletes and coaches are heavily considered for nomination if they were well-respected and highly accomplished during their time at Wartburg and during their professional and personal lives after leaving the college, rather than their individual performance during their time as a Knight.

Participating in the nomination process is a great way for alumni, parents and friends of the college to contribute to commemorating the supporting the accomplishments of the many great athletes and coaches at Wartburg College. 

To fill out a nomination form, go to the Athletic Hall of Fame nomination form through the alumni office. More information about the Athletic Hall of Fame can be found on the Wartburg Athletics website.