Column: Thanks for all the memories

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 14, 2006

John Focke, Behind the Mike

In the four years I have been broadcasting for KATE Radio, I have been able to live a number of my dreams, and now I am getting the opportunity to live another by accepting a job calling Division I hockey games for Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.

One of the memories that I will never forget during my time at KATE is when the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team beat Mankato East in the section finals to make it to the state tournament for the first time. Seeing the unbridled joy on the faces of the players, coaches, staff and fans was something I’d never seen.

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Watching the Tiger basketball team, who had not been to the state tourney since the 1930s, beat their nemesis Faribault and head to the Target Center and the outpouring of support that followed is also a lasting image.

In addition to those feats, seeing the Tiger wrestling team make it to the state twice in the past four years, crown a number of individual champs and take home second this past season was a highlight I’ll carry with me to Michigan.

Driving to Winona with Tom &8220;The Guru&8221; Jones while the Tiger football team was in the midst of a 40-game losing streak, then seeing them win 13-7.

I remember turning to &8220;The Guru&8217;&8221; at the end of the game and seeing him reduced to tears (at first I thought that in my excitement I had kicked him) and then realizing he was so happy he was overcome with emotion.

Thanks to those teams I was able to broadcast from the Excel Energy Center, Marriucci Arena, and the Target Center, just like a real broadcaster.

The first person I ever had as a guest on &8220;The Blitz&8221; was Todd Bauman former back up QB for the Minnesota Vikings, and the last was Rob Babcock, assistant GM with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In between the two I have been able to do so many things that I dreamed about growing up, standing next to Michael Jordan in the Wizards locker room after a game against the Wolves, covering Kevin Garnett’s MVP press conference, talking to Daunte and Randy at Vikings Training Camp, being on Lambeau Field and attending a Brett Favre press conference, running into (literally I didn’t see him) Kobe Bryant during the Western Conference Playoffs, interviewing Wally Szczerbiak, Mark Madsen, Sam Cassell, getting to meet Chris Chellios, Steve Yzerman, Mike Madano, and all the members of the Minnesota Wild, Joe Mauer, Carlos Silva, Tony Olivia, Ron Gardenhire, Burt Blyleven, Al Newman, and many others I am forgetting.

KATE Radio gave me an opportunity right out of college and for that I am incredibly grateful, right before I took this job I had accepted a job selling video cameras at Best Buy, I never would have lasted.

The one thing that really blew me away about living in Albert Lea was the way the community could rally around something.

Whether it was a hockey team ripping off 13 straight wins on the way to their second straight berth in the state tourney, or raising money for the Fourth of July Fireworks or the United Way, it truly was amazing.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the coaches, players and administrators I worked with over the past four years who made covering the teams so enjoyable, and of course to everyone who listened, thanks for your support.

(This is John Focke’s final column.)