Rabe joins Hall of Fame
By Ginna Young
He was a standout athlete on Lake Holcombe’s football roster and went on to crush records at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UM-D), before signing in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Now, Holcombe native Russ Rabe has one more accomplishment to add to the already impressive list, the title of Hall of Famer (HOF).
When Rabe found out that he was going to be inducted into the UM-D HOF, he was excited and humbled, but doesn’t take much credit for the honor, instead, citing his teammates and coaches for the efforts that paid off.
“We all had a role,” said Rabe. “There’s a lot of work that went into that.”
During his time at UM-D, Rabe was a 2003 Don Hansen Football Gazette First Team All-American and 2004 Daktronics Third Team All-American, as well as a selection on the 2003 All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference team and a 2004 All-North Central Conference First Team honoree.
As team Captain, he holds the program records for career sacks (29) and tackles for a loss (458.5 yards), along with season records for sacks (15 in 2003) and tackles for a loss (19.5 in 2003). Rabe also became just the second player in program history to participate in the Hula Bowl.
After his college career, Rabe was selected in the third round of the 2006 NFL Europe League Draft, playing for the Hamburg Sea Devils in 2006.
“I don’t think there’s a secret recipe for success,” said Rabe. “You gotta work really hard and when things are tough, that’s when things change and usually change for the best, if you work through it. If you do something long enough, work hard at it, it becomes easier and you become good at it.”
Although Rabe’s success is a combination of things, he’s well aware that you need a good environment around you, like he had in his growing up years, from the Holcombe, Cornell and Rusk County area. Rabe says the communities turn out many talented athletes, educational professionals and business owners, who are hardworking and driven, because of the support system allowing them to flourish.
“I think it’s a testament to the area, to the community, the families that live there,” he said.
Rabe will join his fellow classmates and nine other inductees into the UM-D Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 29, as part of the college’s Homecoming.
“I feel very fortunate, blessed, lucky to get invited to the HOF,” said Rabe. “I’m really looking forward to getting the group back together up there, to celebrate the inductee part of it.”
