TACOMA, Wash. — GoLutes.com continues to highlight the eight individuals from the 2024 Pacific Lutheran University Athletics Hall of Fame Class that will be inducted on April 6 as part of the 33rd induction class. Today's installment features football All-American Casey Carlson.
Like so many football players, Carlson was drawn to PLU because of the team culture and Hall of Fame Head Coach Frosty Westering.
The Woodinville, Washington native redshirted his first fall on campus, a season that saw the Lutes go on the road and win five straight playoff games to capture the 1999 NCAA Division III National Championship.
The following season, the linebacker earned Freshman MVP honors after finishing with 11 tackles and three sacks for a team that returned to the playoffs.
As sophomore, Carlson led the Lutes in sacks with 9.5 on the season while also racking up 43 tackles, 15 tackles for loss (TFLs), and one interception, powering the Lutes to a Northwest Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Carlson was even better the following season, leading the squad in both sacks and TFLs while earning First Team All-Northwest Conference and Honorable Mention All-American honors from D3football.com.
As a senior, Carlson became just the fifth Lute in program history to be named First Team All-American by two organizations, earning the distinction from both D3football.com and Don Hansen's College Football Gazette. Carlson was First Team All-NWC for the second straight season along with earning NWC Defensive Player of the Year, All-West Region Defensive Player of the Year, and Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. A feared defender, Carlson led the nation in forced fumbles with six while finishing the year with 14 sacks, 21 TFLs, and 69 total tackles.
Carlson wrapped up his star-studded career second on the all-time sacks list with 36 and was named the PLU Male Athlete of the Year. He helped the Lutes win 28 games over four seasons, including an NWC title in 2001 and two trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Despite all the accolades, the one Carlson is most proud of was being voted a team captain in 2003 for Frosty Westering's last season as coach.
Away from the gridiron, Carlson relished the many opportunities to bond with his teammates, from Breakaway to start the season, to the long bus rides for road trips.
"I have great memories of my time at PLU! Each and every one of them was created within the PLU football program and the EMAL family. Breakaway to start the football season! Team dinners! Breakaway skits! Listening to all of Frosty's stories, and being woken up by Frosty blasting Glenn Miller Band at Breakaway!"
Carlson currently works at HailCo Restoration where he has taken the philosophies and culture of the PLU football team under Frosty into the business world.
"I've taken Frosty's philosophy and the principals he coached with and made that the foundation of my company. It's been pretty cool taking everything I leaned on the football field into the business world."
