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Beloved former faculty member, football coach dies

By Le Ann Finger '85
July 26, 2005

Rodney Grubb, 75, associate professor emeritus of political science at St. Olaf, passed away on July 18. He was in the presence of his wife, Beverly, other family members nearby. The Grubbs lived in Northfield for more than 30 years, recently splitting their residence between Arizona and Minnesota.

During Grubb's 32 years at St. Olaf he taught political science, specializing in international relations and political analysis. He and his wife, Beverly, served as field supervisors for a multitude of international study programs over the years, including the Global and Mideast semesters and Interim programs in Central Europe, Western Europe, Brazil, Costa Rica and South Africa. In addition, Rod and Bev led many St. Olaf Study Travel programs abroad most recently in Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Vietnam.

Grubb began studying Vietnam in the late 1950s. He took his first organized American student group into Vietnam, and in 2003 he led a Study Travel group that included two veterans returning for the first time since the Vietnam war.

Grubb was a long-time assistant football coach under Tom Porter from 1974-89. During his 15 seasons he coached both the receivers and the offensive line and helped St. Olaf achieve Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) championships in 1978 and 1979. In 1996 Grubb was named interim head football coach following the death of his colleague, head coach Don Canfield.

Grubb graduated from Concordia College-Moorhead in 1953 and from Luther Theological Seminary in 1957 and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor. He earned his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1957, followed by his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1967. He was an instructor in the philosophy, religion and political science departments at Concordia-Moorhead from 1957-68 and also preached on Sundays in rural Minnesota churches.

Grubb began teaching in the political science department at St. Olaf in 1968, serving as associate professor as well as department chair before retiring in 2000. Grubb maintained his clergy status and performed many weddings for former students and friends throughout the years.

The family suggests memorial gifts to the St. Olaf International Studies program.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3416 or finger@stolaf.edu.