Affectionately known as “Rubes,” Tom Rubbelke spent parts of four decades at Concordia-St. Paul, coming to CSP as an assistant softball coach in 1983 until he was named head softball coach in 1998, leading the team for seven years before being appointed as Concordia’s Athletic Director during the 2004-05 academic year. His transition into athletics administration started near the end of the 2001-02 academic year when he was named the department’s Assistant Athletic Director and Compliance Coordinator in conjunction with his softball coaching duties.
He served 12 years as Concordia’s athletic director, and in his time leading the department, the Golden Bears captured an NCAA record seven volleyball national championships in a row, earned 12 appearances at the NCAA Division II Championships, 19 NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances, competed in 34 NCAA Tournaments and captured a combined 26 Northern Sun conference championships (regular season & tournament).
Additionally, Rubbelke presided over a department that was awarded as the host site for seven NCAA regional championships, hosting numerous NSIC Tournaments and culminating in hosting back-to-back NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships at the Gangelhoff Center in 2008 and 2009 with the Golden Bears winning the championships on their home court in front of a packed arena of CSP students, staff, alumni and families.
In the classroom during Rubbelke’s tenure as athletic director, Concordia’s teams earned 46 team academic awards by their respective coaches’ associations, had 11 programs ranked in the top-10 in the country for their team grade point averages and produced six teams who had the highest GPA in Division II in their sport.
He was an influential member of the Northern Sun, the NCAA, was an active member of NACDA and served on the Division II Athletic Director’s Board of Directors.
Above all, his coaching and administrative career was defined by a commitment to the student-athlete experience, raising the bar for increased student-athlete scholarship funding along with improvements to facilities across the board for training, competition, and studying.
In his coaching career, Rubbelke presided over the softball program’s transition from an NAIA program competing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) to an NCAA Division II and Northern Sun (NSIC) power. The Golden Bears quickly won NSIC regular season and tournament championships in 2001 in just the second year of league and DII membership, with his peers voting him as the NSIC Coach of the Year.
In his seven years, Rubbelke’s Comet and Golden Bear clubs combined for a 220-124 overall record including a 56-24 mark in NSIC play. The team had five 30-plus win seasons and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Sweet Sixteen each time including a regional championship and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Tom and his wife, Barb, have two children, Bryan and Teresa, as well as five grandchildren.
Awards & Honors
- 2020 D2ADA Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2017, CSP designated naming rights in Athletic Performance Center for Rubbelke Weight Room
- 2012 NCAA Game Environment Award (Day of Heroes football game)
- 2011-12 NACDA Under Armour Region Athletics Director of the Year
- 2009, AD when CSP opened Sea Foam Stadium and welcomed softball back to campus with the opening of Carlander Field
- Hosted dignitaries on campus including Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Governor Mark Dayton, and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
- 2001 NSIC Softball Coach of the Year
