Steve Brekke wanted to attend UND from a young age. The Warren, Minn., native grew up a Fighting Sioux fan.
"When I was in about seventh grade I had the chance to go to a basketball game at Hyslop Sports Center," Brekke recalls. "I can still remember sitting in the upper stands listening to the band crescendo and watching the UND team, led by the cheerleaders, come out onto the floor. I knew right then that I wanted to play basketball for UND and Coach Dave Gunther."
Fast forward a few years when the high school senior was looking to play college basketball. Bemidji State recruited Steve and he accepted a $400 scholarship to attend BSU and play basketball for the Beavers. After a year at BSU, Steve accepted a full-ride offer to attend Lake Region Junior College so he decided to bring his basketball talents to Devils Lake.
After a year at Lake Region, Steve had another decision to make. Enter legendary UND Coach Dave Gunther.
"I had a few options and had planned to take a visit to NDSU," said Brekke.
What happened next was fate when Coach Gunther drove to Devils Lake to visit with Steve.
"I will never forget sitting in Kenny's Restaurant in Devils Lake," Brekke remembers. "Coach Gunther bought me a coke and a piece of pie. He told me that I had come a long way as a player over the previous two years and that he wanted to offer me a scholarship to come to Grand Forks and play for the Sioux. It was my dream fulfilled, to play for Coach Gunther. We joked about that meeting often throughout the years. I tell Coach Gunther that must have been the cheapest recruiting trip he ever had, only having to spring for a coke and a piece of pie."
Steve also has a vivid memory of his first UND home game, as he was standing in the tunnel ready to come out onto the floor with the team. As he stood in tunnel, he thought that if he never played a minute of a game, the childhood dream that began as a seventh grader sitting in Hyslop Sports Center had become a reality. Steve went on to be a two-year starter, leading the team in scoring his senior year. He was a two-time All-North Central Conference selection and helped lead UND to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals during the 1981-82 season. He was inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. Dave Gunther, referring to Brekke's work ethic, once commented that if he had five
Steve Brekkes, UND could win the North Central Conference every year.
After graduating, playing professionally in Australia and then working in insurance and banking for several years, he accepted a position with the UND Alumni Association & Foundation (UNDAAF) in May of 2006. In his role as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Athletics Major Gifts, raising funds for UNDs athletics programs scholarships and departmental needs, Steve has helped increase giving to unprecedented levels.
During his tenure, the number of athletic related endowments has risen from $3 million to $34 million translating to an annual payout of $1.2 million, up from a $98,000 annual payout when he came on board with the UNDAAF. During the 2007-08 academic year, Steve performed double duty when he was named Co-Athletic Director with Betty Ralston. Steve was instrumental in development of the Impact Scholarship program that raises annual scholarship dollars for UND student-athletes in all sports. He also was instrumental in implementing the Builders Champion reception, an annual gathering that recognizes donors and provides student-athlete scholarship recipients the opportunity to interact with and personally thank their respective donors.
Steve has remained steadfast in his loyalty to UND fundraising despite extraordinary challenges that have faced UND and UND athletics, including a rebranding of the nickname, the reclassification to Division I, several changes in conference affiliation and significant state-mandated budget cuts. When asked what has driven him over the past 14 years he harkens back to his days as a student-athlete.
"It's simple," he says. "I want to be able to help provide someone else with the same opportunity that was given to me as a student-athlete. UND and Coach Gunther provided me the chance to fulfill a dream and that is what I want to do for others. I think often of what Earl Strinden, (former President of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association) used to say, 'leave the wood pile higher than when you arrive'.
"I have had the opportunity to interact with so many people who are passionate about UND. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with alumni, the community, co-workers, coaches and others. The passion these people have for the University of North Dakota is incomparable, and it has been a privilege to be associated with them and with this great institution," Brekke concluded.
The UND Foundation will host a farewell reception for Steve Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the Gorecki Alumni Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. More info can be found here:
https://undalumni.org/farewellsteve
