Humboldt Athletics Hall of Fame
A good relationship between two coaches at HSU made it easy for Burt Nordstrom to choose which university he wanted to play for.
Nordstrom – a retired Humboldt State administrator who was the director of the University Center for many years, among other roles – ended up in green and gold in 1969 because no other school would allow him to participate in the two sports he loved the most: baseball and football.
"Both the football and baseball coaches here at Humboldt recruited me and together we found an arrangement that worked for all of us," said Nordstrom. "No other school could give me this kind of deal, so the choice was pretty easy."
One of the coaches who made it possible for Nordstrom to play two sports back then was assistant football coach Scott Nelson who later became the graduate program coordinator for Health & PE and an interim HSU athletic director.
"Nordstrom was one of the last two-sport athletes. He was the type of athlete every coach wants in their program," Nelson said.
Even if Nelson coached Nordstrom as a football player, Nelson remembers him best for his pitching abilities.
"Nordstrom had a really strong arm," Nelson said. "He either struck them out or hit them. And he threw so hard that when he hit someone, he hurt them."
After three successful years, Nordstrom decided it was time to leave HSU after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Nordstrom did not play in the Major Leagues but stayed three years with their farm teams.
"To go to camp at the age of 21 was a dream come true," he said. "I played professional ball i the Cardinals system the next three years and experienced a couple of things which most people only can dream about. I traveled most of the United States and, at the same time, I played ball with some of my heroes, people like Bob Gibson and Keith Hernandez."
Being away from Arcata for three years made Nordstrom discover how much he loved Arcata and its surroundings, and it was an easy choice for him to return to HSU in 1975 to finish his degree.
"When you're younger, you often believe that the grass is greener on the other side," Nordstrom said. "But I soon found out that I really missed Humboldt County. Sure it was nice to get away from Northern Calfornia, but it also made me realize how much I loved the area."
Back in the early 1970s, athletes who turned pro could not go back to play in college, but today's athletes can return to school to play a sport other than the one in which they competed professionally.
"It's too bad that this rule was not a part of the college system when I was around," Nordstrom said. "I would have loved to go back to play football for Humboldt."
Nordstrom started as a freshman on the 1970 HSU baseball championship team. He also received all-conference honors as a baseball player in 1970 and 1971 and led the football team in rushing in 1971.
"Winning the championship in 1970 was the highlight of my HSU athletic career," he said.
The honor of being voted in the Hall of Fame brought back some good memories.
"The ballpark was in the middle of campus where the science buildings are now," he said. "It was my favorite ballpark to play on, and we always had a great pack of people coming up for our games."
