SCHOLARSHIP DESCRIPTION
David Sjuggerud graduated from Menomonie High School in 1960. He was a star athlete in basketball, football and track, an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow Honorary Society and a recipient of the MHS Alumni Award.
He attended the US Naval Academy, and in 1961, just three weeks after being moved to the varsity football team, he led the defensive linemen in a 17-6 upset over Miami. In 1963 he was pictured in a Sports Illustrated cover story about the weapons Navy had to take the pressure of their quarterback, Roger Staubach.
He had a stunning military career during Viet Nam, and tested F-14 fighters while also earning a Master’s Degree from George Washington University. In 1979 he became an astronaut semifinalist, going on to manage the F-18 engineering support for the first astronaut flight, and serving as Deputy Project Director for the F/A-18 Flight simulator, retired as a Captain in 1986.
Dave was the ultimate team player, talented and humble, not just in sports but in life. He didn’t talk about his success; his life was his family, his sisters, his wife of nearly 41 years, his sons, Stephen and Michael, and his grandchildren and his many friends.
Dave and his wife Jean shared their retirement time between Orlando and Menomonie, which he always called home. By establishing this scholarship, Dave’s family and friends wanted future recipients to be someone that most lived up to Dave’s example of leadership in both their school and community, with scholarship ability, athletic accomplishment, and humility.
Projected Number of Scholarships and Amounts: The annual award of the scholarship is one $2,000 scholarship.
Recommended Criteria of Eligibility:
- Applicant must be a senior at Menomonie High School
- Preference is strongly given a student of outstanding athletic ability
- Preference will be given to those students who demonstrate scholastic ability and good citizenship/ leadership
- The scholarship is non-renewable
| 2014 Recipient |
| Jared Baldwin |