John Mago, a state high school shot put champion and an All-Northwest football player at Altoona, won the shot put championship for the Blugolds at the 1986 NAIA indoor national championships in Kansas City.
He was a 12-time conference place winner in the indoor shot, outdoor shot, discus and hammer throw. As a collegiate weightman, his career coincided with that of Tom Newberry who claimed 10 titles in those events and went on to a stellar career with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. Mago was the conference shot put runner-up five times.
Although since broken, when he left UWEC, Mago held the school indoor and outdoor shot put records. He was the team field event MVP in 1984 and 1986. Besides winning the shot put title in 1986, Mago also claimed a seventh place in the 35-pound weight throw at the NAIA meet that year.
Mago earned a business finance degree from UWEC in 1987. He has advanced degrees from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (Ed.D), Cardinal Stritch University (MS) and the Minnesota School of Business (MBA).
Since 2004 Mago has been department chair of undergraduate business programs for the University of Phoenix and since 2006 he has been a business professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College.
From 2000-2006, Mago held positions as Director of Career Services and Dean of Faculty at the Minnesota School of Business.
Mago began his career as a national project/sales manager for Strom Engineering from 1993-98 and then became vice-president of marketing at Award staffing services.
Between 1999 and 2009, Mago held adjunct faculty positions with National American University, Art Institute online of Pittsburgh, Indiana Business College, Saint Mary's University and the University of Phoenix.
Mago has been a member of the Minnesota Business Educators, Inc. since 2002 and the Twin Cities Human Resources Association since 1999. He has served as an advisor for a number of groups and a volunteer with several service organizations. He was named Faculty of the Year in 2007 for the University of Phoenix.
From 1993-97, he served as the men's and women's throws coach at Hamline University where he had two national champions. He spent eight years as a track and field meet official.
Mago and his wife Susan, a regional director for Globe University, have four sons: Lucas, 19; Patrick, 17; Dalton, 16; and Jonah, 8.