Hall of Fame
John “Polish” Krolikowski was being summoned by someone he didn’t know from a place he knew nothing about.
“I was sitting in class one day at Omaha Central and somebody said, ‘There’s a coach from Augustana to see you,’” Krolikowski told Argus Leader Sports Editor John Egan following the Vikings’ 23-13 win over Northwest Missouri on September 1, 1979, at Howard Wood Field.
Krolikowski had never heard of Augustana, but accepted Coach Ted Kessinger’s scholarship offer after Nebraska had asked him to walk on. “I’m kind of an independent man,” he told Egan. “I didn’t want to spend money that belonged to my dad. So I came to Augie.”
Kessinger’s visit to Omaha and signing Krolikowski paid dividends.
An article in a 1977 edition of the Mirror described Augustana head football coach Joel Swisher as literally glowing when he talked about defensive lineman Dale Beutel, Dave Prochazka, and sophomore-to-be John Krolikowski. That season Krolikowski made his first start in the Vikings’ opener at Northern Arizona.
In the fall of 1978, Augustana defeated Morningside, 35-15. The Vikings’ defense yielded just 111 yards and Krolikowski led the way with eight tackles.
Krolikowski began his final year with a career effort against Northwest Missouri. After the Bearcats pulled within a point of the Vikings, “Krolikowski became the man on the spot three times in the third quarter,” Egan wrote. First, he knocked down an extra-point boot. Then the Omaha senior blocked a punt and recovered a fumble in rapid succession. During the interview with Egan, Krolikowski admitted that he “probably never had a bigger quarter than that one.”
In 1978, Krolikowski was chosen to the All-North Central Conference second team. In 1979 he was elevated to first team status.
Beating Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls in 1977 and North Dakota in Grand Forks in 1978 were among his most memorable Augustana moments.
Augustana traveled to Cedar Falls for UNI’s homecoming. Quarterback Dee Jay Donlin passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings’ 35-27 win. The host Panthers mounted a late drive, but the Viking defense shut it down.
Academically, it was Professor J.R. Smith who helped Krolikowski find a major.
Today, Krolikowski works as a logistics coordinator for Maguire Iron in Sioux Falls. John and his wife, Julie Schaefer ‘80, are the parents of Corey and Kari.
Augustana University is proud to induct John Krolikowski into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
