Luther College

Intercollegiate athletics began at Luther College in 1891 with a baseball game in Decorah between Luther and St. Olaf College.

Luther competes in 24 varsity sports. The college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III (NCAA III) and the American Rivers Conference. On August 9, 2018 the Iowa Conference was renamed the American Rivers Conference. Members of the American Rivers Conference include Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College and Wartburg College.

As a charter member of Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC)/American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) since 1922, Luther has won 237 conference titles. The men have won 163 team championships, while the women have won 74. During the 2022-23 year men's and women's swimming and diving were competed for the first time for a conference championship. Combined the Norse have won 42 conference tournament championships. Luther will join the Midwest Conference in the 2026-27 academic year. 

The 2014-15 academic year marked 50 years of women's athletics at Luther College. Even though Luther became coeducational in 1936, intercollegiate athletics for women did not begin until 1964-65. The women's athletic program was a charter member of the Iowa Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (IAIAW) and remained a member until joining the newly formed women's league of the Iowa Conference and the NCAA III in 1982.

The Luther men's teams have won the conference Men's All Sports Championship (currently called the Elmer Hertel Men's Sports 30 times. The women's teams have won the Women's All Sports Championship (currently called the Majorie Giles Women's Sports Championship) 10 times.

At the conclusion of the 2002-03 academic year, the Conference All-Sports Championship was established. It is awarded to the school that demonstrates overall excellence in men's and women's sports for a given year. Since that first year, the Norse have finished second 11 times, third three times, and won the All-Sports Championship in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Twenty-nine individual national championships and 355 All-American honors have been earned by Luther student-athletes.

Forty-three student-athletes have received the distinguished NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and 73 student-athletes have been awarded a College Sports Communicators (formerly known as CoSIDA) Academic All-America honor.

Since 1993-94, the conference sports information directors have sponsored all-academic teams for the fall, winter and spring sports. To be a member of the all-academic team, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.50 or greater on a 4.0 scale; have attended the school for a full year; and competed on a varsity sport. Since the first year of this award, 3,088 all-academic honors have been earned by Luther student-athletes.

The Luther College athletic department is also a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society, the first national scholar-athlete society to honor those collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition.

If you are looking for a school that will provide a great education while participating for one of the finest athletic programs in the American Rivers Conference, be sure to contact one of our coaches.

Additional Information

Write or call the Admissions Office, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101-1042; 563-387-1287; email: admissions@luther.edu.