#23 - Ralph Engelstad
The University of North Dakota retired the No. 23 to honor the late Ralph Engelstad, a former Fighting Sioux goalie and highly successful entrepreneur who financed the contruction of UND's Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Engelstad only played 14 games in net for UND during his playing days from 1948-50, but his love of the university and hockey program ran deep. The Thief River Falls, Minn., native always kept UND close to his heart as he became one of the most successful entrepreneurs to graduate from university.
Engelstad and his wife Betty began giving back to his alma mater in the 1980s, donating $5 million to update the Winter Sports Arena, which was later renamed in his honor.
In December of 1999, without telling anyone of his intentions, Engelstad announced a $100 million dollar donation to build the world's finest hockey building: the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Even after his death in 2002, Betty and the Engelstad family have continued support of the university. In 2007, the Engelstad Foundation donated $20 million to UND with an additional $4 million tagged for athletics scholarships, so that like Ralph, young men and women could get the same opportunity to play for the Fighting Sioux.
|
