Augustana University Athletics

When Darwin Klaassen chose Augustana over SDSU after his senior year he ended one of the most hotly-contested recruiting battles in memory. The big man from Little Rock, IA went on to become one of the best centers in the history of Augustana men's basketball.

A four-year starter, Darwin ended his career with 1,209 points, 755 rebounds, and set a school single-season record with 60 blocks Darwin recorded these numbers despite having his senior year cut short by a knee injury. In 1985, Darwin was named to the all-tournament team at the NCC Holiday Basketball Tournament.

With the big man in the middle, the 1987-88 Augustana men's basketball season started the season 15-2 and a No. 3 ranking in the country. Things changed dramatically when the  6' 10" pivot man went down in a game at Morningside. Head coach Bill Gross said, "We really had two seasons – before Dar and after Dar. When we had him in the lineup we accomplished some great things. We reached third place in the national rankings, we had some key road wins in the conference, and we won the NCC holiday tournament. Without Dar we lost 18 points, 10 rebounds, and our best inside defender."

Darwin has fond memories, especially of his senior year. He wrote, "The games we played against SDSU were memorable, especially my freshman year in Brookings. All the games my senior year when we were ranked third in the nation and playing with so much confidence. The Morningside game when I went down with my knee injury and having a great game before getting hurt."