Former linebacker added to list of Viking greats, Sept. 30

John Murtaugh of Harlan, Iowa, will receive Dana College’s highest alumni honor for athletics Sept. 30 in Blair, Neb., when the college names him to its Athletic Hall of Fame at a special ceremony held as part of Homecoming festivities.

Honorees are nominated for their excellence in athletics while attending Dana. In Murtaugh’s case, his achievements on the gridiron stood out.

As a linebacker for the Dana College Vikings in the early ‘80s, Murtaugh was a leader who racked up tackles and honors. He was voted Most Valuable Player three years straight by his teammates, was a two-time All-Conference selection, and was named to the Omaha World-Herald’s Small College All-State Team twice, on the Second Team in 1980 and the First Team in 1982. He is still listed in the Dana record books for career tackles, earning the No. 5 position with 297.

When asked about his favorite memory of his time at Dana, he said, “Getting 14 tackles against Midland College on the same week that my oldest son was born.”

Murtaugh has taken the skills he learned at Dana and returned to his hometown of Harlan, Iowa, to share them with the student athletes of tomorrow. He teaches and coaches both football and wrestling. Murtaugh’s wife, Mary Ann, said that it was agonizing for him to choose between coming to his Athletic Hall of Fame induction or coaching his own Harlan Cyclone Freshman team.

John and Mary Ann Murtaugh have four children, Josh, Jessica, Tyler and Taysha.

Dana College is a place where all students make things happen — in their own lives and in the lives of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus community, Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and other important values and knowledge as they make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic programs in business, education and social work, among others, ensure that students have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging careers or placement in graduate school.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.

Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re with you all the way.

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For more information contact:

Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu