University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Dean Carstens was a star on the Loper baseball and football teams from 1977-81. The Lincoln native was a quarterback on two NAIA playoff teams and a 1981 All-American shortstop.
 
A three-year starter on the gridiron, he directed the Lopers to the playoffs in 1979 and 1980. UNK won its only NAIA playoff game in school history, a 9-6 decision at Mars Hill in North Carolina, in 1980.
 
The dual threat QB ran for 14 TD's and 537 yards in his career. As a passer, Carstens tallied a then-school record 3,074 yards and 18 scores. He still ranks 10th in school history with 449 career pass attempts.
 
On the diamond, Carstens and the Lopers won or shared the CSIC (Central States Intercollegiate Conf.) title all four years. In 1981, the Lopers won 37 games, a record that stood until 2011.
 
As a senior, he batted .369 with six home runs, 42 RBI's and 45 runs scored. It was a spring in which the Lopers played 16 games against Division I competition.

A member of the Lincoln High Athletic Hall of Fame, Carstens resides in Grand Island and has worked at Chief Industries Technical Services for 28 years. He has also been a high school football referee for 25 seasons.