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 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 ...
in
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
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 ...
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