Woody Hayes would be Proud
“Our coaches were very receptive to having true student-athletes…Their fostering of my academic career really set a foundation for me to be successful in achieving admission to medical school and going on to my future career.” – Adam Vossen
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trusty source of muscle and might on an active Dragon defensive front, Adam Vossen spent much of his collegiate football career trying to take people apart. Now he’s putting them back together. A three-year fixture on the MSU Moorhead defensive line, Captain Vossen is now a doctor in the U.S. Air Force specializing in internal medicine. He is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb. Vossen’s rewarding collegiate career ended in grand style when he was named recipient of the Woody Hayes Award as the top scholar-athlete in NCAA Division II following the 1999 season. Named for the legendary football coach at Ohio State University, the Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete Award was presented to Vossen at a post-season banquet in Columbus, Ohio. Created as a living memorial to Hayes by the University Sertoma Club, the award salutes a special player with demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics and community service. Vossen is the first and only winner from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. “It was a very humbling experience,” said Vossen, “and I had no idea I had been nominated for the award. It was a traditional awards ceremony, with recipients for all divisions, including high school. It was a great honor to be there and celebrate it with my family.” Vossen was impressed by the real reason behind the award. “We had an opportunity to tour Ohio State and talk with members of the Sertoma Club. It was a unique experience and I learned they use proceeds (from the event) to assist the hearing and visually impaired; I thought that was great.” A 1996 graduate of Robbinsdale Cooper High School and class salutatorian, Vossen declined an opportunity to join the University of Minnesota football program as a preferred walk-on and signed on instead at MSUM after a recruiting pitch by former assistant coach Dan Lind. It didn’t take long for Vossen to make an imprint at MSUM. “I started as a sophomore but got hurt and split time as a junior. In 1999 as a senior, I started all year at defensive end.” Vossen was credited with 50 tackles as a senior, including a club high 15 for loss. A three-time All-NSIC Academic choice, Vossen was
> Adam Vossen accepting the Woody Hayes Award as the top scholar-athlete in NCAA Division II.
named a first team CoSIDA-GTE Academic All-American. Following graduation in 2001, Vossen was accepted to the University of Minnesota Medical School. He graduated in 2005 and interned at St. John Hospital in Detroit, Mich., before moving to Offutt Air Force Base. Over a decade removed from his playing career, Vossen still looks back on his stay at MSUM with great fondness. “College football was my favorite experience,” Vossen said. “They were some of the most enjoyable four years of my life and taught me about hard work, dedication, teamwork and how to be a competitor. I have a lot of great memories from playing football and would go back and do it again in a heartbeat.” While football was a major piece of Vossen’s undergraduate experience, the blend between academics and athletics proved to be a perfect fit. While Vossen was anxious to find the right balance between textbooks and textbook tackles, Dragon coaches were more than willing to bring an even measure of understanding. “Our coaches were very receptive to having true studentathletes. By the time I was a senior, I was missing practice up to two days a week because of my class schedule, but that was fully endorsed by the coaches because they knew education was really important and that we still would be able to get our work done on the football field,” Vossen said. “Their fostering of my academic career really set a foundation for me to be successful in achieving admission to medical school and going on to my future career.” Adam and his wife Shari (Oslos), a fellow alum, have three children, son Jack (4), and daughters Kira (18 months) and Alex (nine months). Adam would be pleased if his son adds to the rich Vossen football tradition. “I think it would be wonderful to watch him play.”
DRAG NS 32
Alumnews Winter 2011
> LARRY SCOTT, Athletics Columnist and Retired Sports Information Director