Jacobi Melius Alton Christiansen (February 2, 1900 – January 21, 1992) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...

from 1929 to 1940 and at Concordia College in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

from 1941 to 1968, compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

record of 175–92–15. Christiansen's 1964 Concordia team tied with

Sam Houston State Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

in the NAIA National title game. Christiansen is one of the few college football coaches to have coached in a stadium named after himself.

Playing career

Christiansen was born in

Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephenson Island, part of the ...

and grew up in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W. N ...

where his father

F. Melius Christiansen Fredrik Melius Christiansen (April 1, 1871 – June 1, 1955) was a Norway, Norwegian-born violinist and choral conductor in the Lutheran choral tradition. Early life Fredrik Melius Christiansen, the son of a Norwegian factory worker, was born in ...

was conductor of the

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

Choir. Christiansen had musical talent but was also a standout athlete in college. He graduated from St. Olaf in 1924 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He later earned a master's degree in education and counseling from

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

. His younger brothers led major college choral programs in the twentieth century: Olaf C. Christiansen at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and Paul J. Christiansen at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.

Coaching career

Valparaiso

Christiansen was the head football coach for the

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. History The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...

for 12 seasons, from 1929 until 1940. His football coaching record at Valparaiso was 50–43–4. His 1932 team completed the season undefeated. Christiansen was called "A remarkable one-man athletics department" at Valparasio. He served as football coach, basketball coach, and

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

from 1929 through 1941. His basketball team of 1938 won the Indiana Intercollegiate title and went on to play in the National Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. Valparaiso inducted him into their "Athletic Hall of Fame" in 1998.

Concordia (MN)

Christiansen moved to Concordia College in

to coach basketball from 1941–42 season through 1952–53 season. He also coached football for the school from 1941 through 1968. In fall 1964, Christiansen was named MIAC Coach of the Year, NAIA Coach of the Year and inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. That same year the construction of a new football stadium was announced. After its completion in 1966, it was dedicated as the Jake Christiansen Stadium. He was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Jake 1900 births 1992 deaths Concordia Cobbers football coaches Concordia Cobbers men's basketball coaches Valparaiso Beacons athletic directors Valparaiso Beacons baseball coaches Valparaiso Beacons football coaches Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball coaches St. Olaf Oles football players North Dakota State University alumni People from Marinette, Wisconsin People from Northfield, Minnesota Coaches of American football from Minnesota Players of American football from Minnesota Baseball coaches from Minnesota Basketball coaches from Minnesota American people of Norwegian descent