Oluf Roy Haugsrud (May 13, 1899 – March 13, 1976) was an American sports executive. Haugsrud was born in Superior, Wisconsin. Haugsrud was owner of the

Duluth Eskimos The Duluth Eskimos were a professional football team from Duluth, Minnesota in the National Football League (NFL). After spending most of their time as a traveling team, they withdrew from the league after the 1927 season. A distinction of the E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) in the late-1920s. His signing of

Ernie Nevers Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 – May 3, 1976), sometimes known by the nickname "Big Dog", was an American football and baseball player and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th ...

and having the Eskimos barnstorm, is credited as helping grow the league at critical time. He later sold the team back to the NFL. Part of the deal was that he would have first rights to any future NFL team in the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Though he passed on a stake in the

Minneapolis Red Jackets The Minneapolis Marines were an early professional football team that existed from 1905 until 1924. The team was later resurrected from 1929 to 1930 under the Minneapolis Red Jackets name. The Marines were owned locally by Minneapolitans John Dun ...

in 1929, when the NFL expanded to

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

in January 1960, Haugsrud was given 10% ownership. He remained part owner of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

until his death in 1976. Haugsrud was the senior nominee for the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

in 1973. He was not elected. The Vikings name and team colors are the same as Haugsrud's high school, Central High School in Superior. The Vikings secondary logo that is still in use is a modified version of Central's original logo. There is a field in Superior, Wisconsin called Ole Haugsrud Field. The

University of Wisconsin–Superior The University of Wisconsin–Superior (UW–Superior or UWS) is a public liberal arts university in Superior, Wisconsin. UW–Superior grants associate, bachelor's, master's and specialist's degrees. The university enrolls 2,559 undergraduates ...

football team played there until the team went out of existence in the mid-1990s. The Superior High School Spartans played there until 2014 (when the high school's new stadium opened).

References

Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haugsrud, Ole 1899 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Minnesota Vikings owners Sportspeople from Superior, Wisconsin