Augsburg University Athletics

DeClercq was one of the key members of an Augsburg men’s hockey squad that won the NAIA national championship in 1981, the team’s second national championship in a five-year span. In 84 career games at Augsburg, DeClercq finished with 62 goals and 47 assists for 109 points, earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors in 1980 and All-MIAC honors in 1981. DeClercq’s 1980-81 campaign was a magical one, as he scored a team-high 30 goals -- tied for the second-most goals in a single season in school history -- with 18 assists for 48 points, earning NAIA All-American and NAIA All-Tournament Team honors. DeClercq earned his degree in education from Augsburg in 1981. He passed away on Jan. 14, 1983 after tragically contracting encephalitis. His family later dedicated a plaque that is displayed at the Augsburg Ice Arena, honoring Augsburg’s men’s hockey All-Americans.