Mike Dau '58 was named Forester Athlete of the Week on Thursday for his performance in the football team's 20-12 victory over Wheaton College on October 12, 1957.
Dau, a guard, helped pave the way for Lake Forest ball carriers to amass 260 rushing yards on 62 carries in the contest. Hartford led the squad with 72 of those yards and Parker accounted for both of the team's receptions for a combined 24 yards.
Wheaton entered the game as the two-time defending College Conference of Illinois champions and with an 18-game unbeaten streak in league play, a run that included a 41-12 triumph over the Foresters the year before. After falling to the Foresters, the Thunder went 19 more games before dropping another conference contest.
Lake Forest finished the 1957 season with a 6-2 overall record and joined Wheaton as co-champs of the CCI with a league mark of 6-1. It was the second of five conference championships in program history.
Dau (#72 pictured with #81 Dave Parker and #33 John Hartford after the game) was voted the 1957 team's Most Valuable Player on offense, earned First Team All-State honors from the Peoria Journal Star, and added Honorable Mention All-American accolades from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. He became an assistant coach at the College a few years later, served as the team's head coach from 1966 to 1991, and is still a member of the staff. The 1977 inductee into the Lake Forest College Athletic Hall of Fame was also the Foresters' athletic director from 1975-92 and has claimed 51 national titles as the only head coach in the history of Forester handball, which began in 1968.
Mike Dau '58 Bios: Hall of Fame | Assistant Football Coach | Head Handball Coach
Since all Lake Forest College sporting events during the fall semester have been postponed, the Athletic Department is utilizing its archives to continue the weekly recognition of high-level performances by Foresters. The department has selected a Forester Athlete of the Week since 1996, so the honorees for the rest of 2020 will have earned the distinction at least 25 years ago.
A note of gratitude goes out to Mike Dau '58, whose tireless efforts as the department's historian has made this fall's Forester Athlete of the Week research possible.
