Herb Carlson was one of the greatest boxers in Idaho history. Carlson was the first Idaho student-athlete to earn the La Rowe Trophy, given to the nation’s top boxer.
He was the only boxer to win four straight Pacific Coast Conference titles, but from 1947-50, Carlson wasn’t just a conference force. He was a national force, taking home NCAA titles in 1947, 1948 and 1950. With Carlson around, the team never finished worse than fourth at the NCAA Championships, tying for the team title in 1950. The team also won a pair of PCC titles in 1949 and 1950 with Carlson leading the way. Carlson started his career on a 22-fight win streak and left school with a 41-3-1 career record.