David Bolstorff

David Bolstorff (born c. 1934) is an American former college football coach, chaplain, and professor. He served as the head football coach at Waldorf College—now known as Waldorf University—in Forest City, Iowa from 1968 to 2006, compiling a record of 189–184–2.^[1] Bolstorff was also the chaplain and a professor of religion at Waldorf.

Bolstorff was raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He began his college career at the University of Minnesota before transferring to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.^[2] There he played football as a guard and was named first-team All-Midwest Conference in 1955.^[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in religion, history, and philosophy from St. Olaf and a bachelor of divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary—now known as Luther Seminary—in Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[2]

Bolstorff interned at a parish in California in the late 1950s, during which he played semi-professional football with the Orange County Rhinos of the Pacific Football Conference.^[2] With the Rhinos, he played as a fullback, and tackle.^[4] After graduating from the seminary in 1960, he was appointed associate pastor at the Faribault Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minnesota.^[5] Bolstorff began his coaching career with two years as an assistant as his alma mater, St. Olaf, one year as an assistant at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, and two years as line coach at Faribault High School. In 1962, he was hired as an assistant football coach at Augustana College—now known as Augustana University—in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.^[6]

Bolstorff moved to Waldorf in 1965 as the college's first full-time chaplain. He also helped coaching the football team under head coach Robert Bungum. Bolstorff became acting head coach in 1967 when Bungum suffered a heart attack, and succeeded him on a permanent basis the following season.^[7][2]

Bolstorff's older brother, Doug Bolstorff, played college basketball at the University of Minnesota and was the head basketball coach at Macalester College in Saint Paul.^[6]