Augustana University Athletics

Chris SanAgustin is the third member of the class of 1991 who joins the Athletic Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He also was a member of the 1988 and 1989 football teams that each won eight games in the regular season and the competed in the NCAA Division II regional playoffs.

In the final game of his freshman year, Chris rushed for 91 yards in nine carries in a game against St. Cloud State. That was his first start at running back, and Coach Jim Heinitz knew then who would be his starting running back for the next three years. Against UND in 1989, he scored 30 points and rushed for five touchdowns, both of which were school records; the Vikings won that game 49-39. As a senior, Chris set two records in the game at SDSU; he rushed for a school-record 290 yards in a school-record number of 39 attempts. Coach Heinitz said, "His performance at SDSU was the finest I've ever seen. He couldn't be stopped." Chris had more to say of that day; "It was a memorable event as I gained 290 yards in three quarters, due to incredible blocking by the offensive line."

Chris also set a record for most attempts in a season when he carried the ball 212 times in 1990, and for most yards gained in a season by rushing with 1109 yards, also in 1990. On the career charts, he led the pack with 3098 yards rushing and owned the career points record with 294. He is the first player in Augustana history to record back-to-back 1000-yard rushing seasons. During his four years, he scored 49 touchdowns, another career-leading statistic.

"San" was All-NCC in both 1989 and 1990, and earned All-America honors in 1990. He wrote that he had "…a great experience with all coaches involved with Augie football, but the most memorable is Coach Heinitz. He taught me to enjoy the moment, because they would not last forever." He also is proud of the team making the first-ever playoff appearance in 1988, and listed the 31-24 win over St. Cloud State to clinch that spot was a memorable game.